good morning. showtime in charlotte. the democratic national convention gets under way today with the prime time speech from first lady michelle obama. we're here live. republican vice presidential nominee paul ryan joins us to talk about where he thinks the presidential race is headed and chris sichl that he played fast and loose with the truth. out and about. the prince makes his first public appearance since those naked las vegas pictures surfaced and poked fun at himself. but it was a cheeky 6-year-old who nearly stole the show. the gentle giant, michael clarke duncan, oscar nominated

star of "the green mile" died after a heart attack. tributes are pouring in from some of hollywood's biggest names today, tuesday, some of hollywood's biggest names today, tuesday, september 4th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" tuesday morning, i'm savannah guthrie in charlotte, north carolina. >> i'm matt lauer in new york. savannah, republicans had their moment in the spotlight last week. starting today, down there in charlotte, the democrats will try to grab some of that spotlight for themselves. >> that's right. this convention is opening to a very close poll for the white house. tonight michelle obama's marquis

speaker visited hall on monday and got a walkthrough. the president arrives tomorrow. former president bill clinton is set to address the 6,000 delegates. much more here straight ahead. also, savannah, are you wasting your money if you go out and buy organic food. it cost as lot more, supposed to be better for you. according to a study that's apparently for the true. we'll tell you more about that. later on "today's" professionals will be here. we have a lot to talk about. the next time you have too much to drink, can you probably blame it on the shape of the glass you're drinking out of. we'll be watching that. >> i'll be watching that with interest, matt, thank you. we want to begin with the national convention in charlotte. chuck todd, political director, white house correspondent. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. they begin the convention with a direct appeal to the voting groups crucial to the president's re-election, women

and latinos. >> preparing for a prime time speech first lady arrived in charlotte surveying the stage where she'll address delegates and doing on the campaign trail what she's been doing for her husband, women's election issues. >> this is a choice about women and families. >> reporter: michelle obama will be preceded by the keynote speaker, the 37-year-old mayor of san antonio, hullian castro. as they gear up they are put on the defensive over an argument. >> the president will say a lot of things, and he will, but he can't tell you you're better off. >> reporter: campaigning in the shadow, paul ryan attempted to channel the ousted president in 1980. >> are you better off than you were four years ago? >> reporter: over the weekend democrats at first struggled to answer that famous question. >> can you honestly say people are better off today than they

were four years ago? >> no, but that's not the question of this election. >> reporter: by monday morning the obama team retold. >> are we better off today than we were four years ago when president obama was elected. >> absolutely. >> reporter: by the afternoon in detroit, vice president biden was even more animated. >> you want to know whether we're better off, i got a little better off? i have a bumper sticker for you. osama bin laden is dead and gm is alive. >> reporter: the president using team to prepare for the presidential debate. something said did earn a retort as they sparred over their economic plans getting into a battle of sports metaphors. >> 23 million people out of work or underemployed. let me tell you, if you have a coach that's 0 and 23 million, you say it's time to get a new coach. >> he said he's going to be the coach that leads america to a

winning season, and i've got one piece of advice for you about the romney/ryan game plan, ohio. punt it away. it won't work. >> reporter: other notable speakers an moments to look for tonight, first night of the convention, a tribute to ted kennedy, jimmy carter addresses delegates by video. both the president's sister and first lady's brother will be addressing the convention. matt. >> chuck todd, thank you very much. paul ryan is the vice presidential candidate on the republican ticket. congressman ryan, it's nice to have you on the show. good morning. >> good to be with you, matt. >> thank you very much. your speech last wednesday night at the convention is still getting a lot of attention. there are some people saying you played a little fast and loose with the truth on certain key elements. i'm not just talking about democratic analysts but independent fact checkers. would you concede while many of the things you said were effective, some were not

completely accurate? >> no, not in the least actually. what they are trying to suggest is that i said barack obama was responsible for the plan shut down in janesville. that's not what i was saying. read the speech. what i was saying is the president ought to be held to account for prone promises. after the plant was shut down he said he would lead efforts to restart the plant. it's still idle. lots of people i grew up with that lost their jobs there still don't have jobs there. my point was not to label it his plant shutdown but another example of his broken proms. in 2008 he traveled all around the country making promises he would break just like in janesville. >> in my opinion it seemed like you unmistakably tried to link the president's promise to the plant which you know closed before he became president. >> the promise was he was going to open the plant. the promise was he was going to

lead an effort to retool the plant so people would be open and go back to work for 100 years. the point is he filled people with hope traveling around the country running for president making grandiose promises which are not in true. he said he would cut deficit in half, didn't do that. i know they don't like the fact we pony these facts out that they made a lot of promises that did not materialize. janesville was one more example of that. >> let's talk about the example using simpson bows recommendation. they came back with an urgent report, thanked them, sent them on their way and did nothing. you were one of the seven members of that panel and you voted against sending those recommendations to the senate basically killing any further action on them. didn't you owe it to the people in that room to say that as

well? >> but if you read the next paragraph, i said republicans offered alternatives. so here is my point. just because i didn't like that report, because i don't think it solved the problem, i didn't think it fixed the problem of runaway entitlement spending, i authored and passed through the house an alternative. what we did was took the things we liked in simpson-bowles. the president didn't do that, offer a budget to fix the problem. the senate hasn't passed a budget in three years. on simpson-bowles, it's not whether it's a good or bad plan, you owe the country the alternative, which is what we did, not what president obama did. we're going to have a debt crisis and the president hasn't shown the leadership. he needs to to prevent that from happening. >> let me ask about something not mentioned in your speech or governor romney's speech in the convention, that's the war in afghanistan. that's been a lot of our time,

attention anemone and sacrifices of men and women over the last 11 years. you didn't mention it once, neither did governor romney. he's asking americans to make him the next commander in chief. how can you not remember that war? >> i think you have to remember the day before that speech mitt romney wept to the american legion and gave a lengthy speech on the topic. he was invited, did a lengthy speech the day before. >> on a more personal note you know over the next couple months you and your family are going to face enormous scrutiny. you have a wife and three young children. are you at all worried about the impact this race and this process will have on your family? >> jan and i discussed that quite a bit. months ago when i agreed to go through the vetting process, we talked about it, we prayed about it. we came to the conclusion this is such a unique time in our country's history that we really have a chance to get this country on the right track. we're on the wrong trk. people are not better off than they were four years ago.

because of the enormity of the challenges facing the country and the leadership we try to provide, we just think it's such a unique moment we should serve in this capacity. sure, you always worry about your children. you always worry about your wife and your family. but we care so deeply about this country, about getting people back to work, about turning things around that we're willing to do this. >> congressman paul ryan, the vice presidential candidate on the republican side. congressman, it's nice of you to spend time with us this morning. >> thanks, matt, take care. >> thank you. let's go back now to savannah in charlotte. all right, matt. thanks. one of the nation's most hotly contested races in massachusetts where elizabeth warren challenging republican incumbent scott brown. she will speak at the convention. good morning. >> good morning. >> the dust-up in the campaign has to do with ronald reagan's famous question, are you better off than you were four years ago. is it telling initially democrats seemed to have a hard time answering this question? >> i think the important thing

about this question is you have to remember exactly where we were four years ago. the markets were crashing. the financial system was in threat of seizing up entirely and economists were talking about a worldwide depression. the recklessness on wall street cost trillions in pension money, trillions in values of people's homes and it cost millions of jobs. in other words, it was a very long fall. it's working its way back, but it's slow. >> for the campaign to say, okay, now absolutely you are better off, does it all risk a perception that the president is out of touch. as a romney spokesperson said you're doing well, you just don't know it. >> i think what happened here, a lot of people are unemployed, too many. that's very painful, painful to families, painful to the larger economy. the real question is what's the vision going forward. who is trying to fix this and

how do they plan to fix it. mitt romney says the way to fix this is cut taxes for the richest americans and for the biggest corporations, increase taxes for the middle class and stop making the investments in the future, education, roads, and bridges. the president just reverses that. he says make the top pay a fair share. don't increase taxes on the middle class, and make the investment in the future. >> you have made a career of railing against wall street. one of your famous quotes is the people of wall street broke this country. you have prime real estate at this convention, a big speaking role. are you here to argue mitt romney is the personification of that wall street greed and excess. >> i'm so delighted to be here. i'm delighted to be here representing massachusetts. what i'm going to do is i'm going to talk about what i've been working on for a very long time, many years. that is how america's middle class, america's working families are getting hammered.

>> do you think romney's wall street background disqualifies him from caring about the middle class or knowing what to do about the middle class? >> look, the way i look at this is i just look at the facts. that is what the plan they are putting forward. when romney says his plan is cut taxes for the rich and increase for the middle class, you better believe i have a problem with that. america's middle class can't stand that anymore. america's middle class has been hammered, squeezed and chipped at for a generation now. it's got to stop. >> we appreciate your time and we'll see you on the convention floor tomorrow night. >> you bet. >> nbc news will have complete coverage of the democratic national convention on nbc. let's get a check of the top stories from natalie morales. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, savannah. good morning, everyone. the wildfire that chased thousands of campers and picnickers in angeles is growing.

it now covers section square miles. it was only five percent contained overnight. they are requesting additional resources to fight the blaze start bid a car fire over the weekend. a possible tornado in central delaware. high winds damaged at least 10 homes monday ripping away shingles and siding and buckling garage doors. president obama got a firsthand look monday at damage caused by hurricane isaac just north of new orleans. tens of thousands of people in louisiana are still without power now one week after the storm. at least 65,000 have applied for federal aid. a new effort to ease the humanitarian suffering in syria. the head of the international red cross head with bashar al-assad seeking improved access to war victims. the u.s. said 1,000 refugees fled in august, the highest number since the uprising

against assad began 17 months ago. wall street is getting back to work after the long labor day weekend. cnbc's mandy drury at the stock exchange is for us. good morning, mandy. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. this is a big week for the market. a lot happening thursday, bold action from the european bank as the debt crisis really does drag on there. as of this friday, that's when our own big u.s. job support comes out. there's even some traders out there hoping for a weak number of jobs created, because that might trigger more stimulus from the u.s. central banks. those are some of the things we're watching. natalie, back to you. >> lots of headlines. we'll be watching. mandy drury at the new york stock exchange. thanks. a tractor driver stage add one-man demolition derby, smashing his big machine into a row of cars and trucks. he was quickly swarmed by other drivers who roughed him up a bit before police arrived to the rescue. they arrested him, as you see,

for drunk driving. it is now 7:15, making his way slowly out of that cab. back over to matt and al. >> all right, natalie. >> i'm going to get in that tractor and i'm going to drive me over some cars. >> mr. roker, what's happening? >> we've got som of isaac to talk about here in the northeast and the southeast, as well. that moisture getting caught up in a cold front. it's going to be pushing some of this, really, right through the northeast and the southeast, as well. rainfall amounts from philadelphia up into new england. talking one to three inches and some areas as much as three to five inches of rain and also a beautiful day in the pacific northwest with temperatures in the low to mid-70s and a lot of heat in the mid-section of the country. we'll look at that in depth coming up in the next half hour. >> just one or two light showers out there right now. those are lifting out of our area to the north, but we expect more rain coming our way for the afternoon hours today and for the evening. 77 is where we are right now.

reagan national airport, again, hanging in gh humidity, t's the air. we'll see temperatures today into the mid-80s. and for the afternoon and evening hours, when we get those showers and occasional storms, look at the >> and that's your latest weather. matt. >> al, thanks a new study is out this morning which may make you think twice before spending money on organic foods. according to reservers at stanford university, they are not much healthier than convention meats, fruits or vegetables. diana in malibu with details on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. if you're like me and millions of other americans you tend to reach for organic foods because you know they were grown without synthetic pesticides, antibiotics. sounds healthier. according a new study, not necessarily.

if it says organic, many shoppers believe it must be better for you. >> i do it for my health and i do it for sustainability. >> reporter: but a new study from stanford university on the health advantages of organic products over their counter-parts. they evaluated 5,000 articles and over 200 studies. >> we found there were no specific foods or fruits that had any significant difference between organic and conventional. if people are looking for a really robust evidence base for differences, we simply did not find that. >> reporter: the stanford study did find organic produce is 30% less likely to be contaminated with pesticide revenue than conventional fruits and vegetables but found both to be safe for consumption. some doctors say the study's scope was too limited. >> it matters which pesticides. some are more toxic than others. it matters how many and how much pesticide that's not taken into

account. >> reporter: the organic food business has grown tremendously over the last 20 years, it's worth over a billion dollars. a top adviser criticized the findings, because the author's very qualified conclusions do not match the data. pointing out by the study's own admission organic food does lower exposure to pesticides and resistance to antibiotics. >> when it comes to organic, food in general, we're making an investment in our body. every bite we take is an investment or debt we're taking out that we're going to have to pay someday. i think organic is an excellent investment in our health. >> reporter: many consumers say the extra cost is worth it for reasons that go beyond health. >> they last longer in your refrigerator. they taste differently. >> may not give the added health benefits but you know you're helping the smaller markets. i'd probably still do it either way. >> reporter: researchers acknowledge no study looking at the health benefits of organic food has exceeded two years, too

short a period to gauge the impact they could make over a lifetime. another positive for eating organic, the same study found organic milk and chicken have higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids associated with better health. something to think about this morning when you're pouring that coffee. matt. >> diana, thank you very much. now to some sad news from hollywood. oscar nominated actor michael clarke duncan died at a hospital monday after nearly two months of treatment following a heart attack. jason kennedy is here with more on that story. jason, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. michael clarke duncan became known not only for his physical presence but his huge heart as well. this morning fans and friends are grieving the loss of this gentle giant. towering, muscular and prolific, actor michael clarke duncan and in dozens of films. >> heard my voice. >> his baritone royce instantly

recognizable. >> i'm a little emotional. >> reporter: eight weeks ago he suffered a heart attack and according to a spokeswoman he never fully recovered. he died at cedar sinai. duncan became a hollywood favorite after appearing in what would become his most mom rabble law alongside tom hanks as a gentle giant and quibed murder mer in "the green mile" based on the steven king novel of the same name. >> just give out. >> reporter: the role earned duncan an academy award nomination for best actor. >> he became john coffey. he was the epitome of good. he became his character. >> reporter: with his big smile and bigger build he seemed suited for everything. in action films like "sin city." >> the name is ricky, ricky

bobby. >> reporter: and comedies like talladega nights and school for scoundrels. >> i'm going to bite those lips off. >> reporter: he also lent his unique voice to several animated movies including kung fu panda. his rise to fame was unlikely. born in chicago in 1957 and raised by a single mother who objected to him playing football, he turned to acting instead. in his 20s he paid the business as a bodyguard for such high-profile stars as will smith and jamie foxx. >> held okay, this is michael clarke duncan for peta. i became a vegetarian three years ago. >> reporter: earlier this year duncan and in a video by peta in which he spoke about becoming a vegetarian and how healthy he felt. >> for guys out there, don't think you have to have steaks to get your protein. >> reporter: he's survived by his fiancee, reality tv star

omarosa. in a statement she said she's grateful for outpouring of prayers and support. michael clarke duncan was just 54 years old. tom hanks said he's terribly saddened at the loss of big mike calling him the treasure we all discovered on "the green mile" set. the movie's producers and director said michael clarke was the gentlest of souls and among the finest people he's known. >> thank you very much. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

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and help build a better future for maryland. crime family caught on tape. grandmother's, even babies being used to rip off jewelry stores. savannah. prince harry's first public appearance since that infamous trip to las vegas. the story after your local news. . just trying to look our best. gonna take more than looks. from what i hear, ms. haskins is a toughy. oh we had a good breakfast, so we're ready. [ female announcer ] packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains. kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal... keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused.

don't hide behind your lipstick.-wheats cereal... use it to show the world how you feel. and today, i feel daring. [announcer:] revlon super lustrous lipstick. mega moisturizing formula in 82 stay true colors. 7:26 is your time now on this tuesday, september 4th, 2012. good morning, i'm eun yang. it is back to school for hundreds of thousands of students in northern virginia. fairfax county. they're set to welcome back 180,000 students today. fairfax county police will be out in full force making sure drivers follow the school bus laws. here's danella sealock with your first 4 traffic. >> if you're traveling i-270 southbound have a disabled tractor trailer and delays on i-270. head all the way to the spur,

head all the way to the spur, that's where you're now sink your teeth into that big n' toasted if you're ready to soar. good. exits are here, here, and here. a big day calls for the big n' toasted breakfast sandwich. grab yours at dunkin' donuts.

inkjoy by papermate it writes so effortlessly, it's soon to be the world's most stolen pen, don't...it's a trap. find your inkjoy. there may not be rain falling from the sky, but it's humid and damp outside and puddles still left around. 7 your temperature and, again, high humidity with a light wind and cloud cover throughout the area and more clouds than sun

today and then we'll get more showers in here for the afternoon, even the possibility of some thunderstorms and some heavier rain in areas, your high today 85 degrees. rain is expected again tomorrow and thursday. eun. >> thanks, heavy load in america. but mitt romney plan, a middle class to $2,000 more a year in taxes. multi-millionaires like himself hits the middle class harder... bigger break. forward for america? this message.

7:20 tuesday morning, 4th of september, 2012. you're looking at a brazen crime in process. kids and babies used to divert attention while someone else robs a jewelry store. you know what, they are getting away with it and police are frustrated. more on that story straight ahead. i'm matt lauer, savannah is at the democratic national convention in charlotte. savannah, good morning again. >> hey, matt. it's no accident they are meeting in south carolina. this is how convincingly this state won after years of going

republican the president pulled out a narrow win. fast forward to today and polls show mitt romney with a four-point lead in north carolina. the democrats are hoping this will give the president a boost in this state and other swing states around the country. just ahead prince harry shows a different side of himself at his first public appearance after his trip to las vegas. we'll go to london for details on that. a little later "today's" professionals of weigh in on hot topics including on a controversial program to get mothers to breastfeed. a veteran umpire in jail for killing her husband and her family opening up about her arrest. good morning to you. >> reporter: some of headline writers calling it death by coffee cup.

charged with beating her husband with a coffee cup and stabbing him with remnants. her lawyers and family said there's no way she could have done it. lois ann goodman arrested in her official togs on the way for the qualifying rounds and was back to las vegas for the murder charge of her 80-year-old husband. her daughter, who with other relatives and friends set audiotape website to start a defense fund insists there's no way her mom could have done it. >> my mother is a wonderful person, married to my father happily for 50 years, who never fought and always had a loving relationship. >> reporter: at first investigators believed her story. >> she came home, found her husband dead in their bed. se surmised he muff had a heart attack and fallen down the stars. >> the coroner's findings. >> he died of blunt, sharp

object. >> reporter: that object according to the arrest warrant, a dangerous weapon, to wit, coffee cup. they helped her pledge bail, 40,000 in cash, real estate, even cars. >> wasn't enough to get your mother out? >> no, it wasn't. not at all. >> we had to sell assets. >> reporter: goodman's lawyer said her constant spinal pain would have made her use of a coffee cup as a weapon inconceivable. >> i would say in this case it is physically impossible and the evidence will show it was physically impossible for her to have committed this offense. >> reporter: what police say is alan goodman had multiple stab wounds in his head and frag men's of porcelain that broke after early blows. he lay dying as his wife went out to have her nails done and

rev a local tennis turm. she has pled not guilty and her daughter knows that's the truth. >> all i can tell you is my mother did not do it. she's not capable physically or emotionally to do it. >> reporter: good man is due in court in october. meanwhile hees at home and required to wear an electronic monitor. if found guilty, she'll be sentenced to life in prison. >> mike taibbi on this story, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> "today's" weather brought to you by edward jones. nearly 7 million investors already know face time makes a difference. >> and we've got kind of a warm, humid, stickyat's the way we fe. let's see what we have. we do have a little bit of heat to talk about. talk about sticky. austin, texas, 100 feels like 99 but in new orleans feels like 103 and memphis feels like 103, as well. oklahoma city an air temperature

of 104. look at those temperatures. 100s and 90s all the way up into the upper plains and our friends in mississippi, louisiana, alabama without power it's a rough day today. hundreds in the southwest, 104 in phoenix and beautiful in the pacific northwest and wet weather from the southeast and slight risk of strong storms in the upper mississippi river valley, that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> right here we're stuck, it certainly seems like it with high humidity continuing. that a is look at a live shot there as we look out over the potomac, you can see the clouds, oh, they're hanging low. temperature 77 degrees. we are seeing the numbers coming up very slowly. the wind light. i think we'll get a little bit of wind today, not very much. that will help to mix some of the humidity out. today's high and that's your latest weather. matt. >> all right, al. thank you very much. prince harry made his first

public outing last night since he was because the on camera living it up in las vegas. nbc's michelle kosinski is in london. she has more on this. michelle, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, matt. he actually made a very subtle joke last night. prince harry didn't seem to mind being the center of attention in las vegas. it was just once those pictures came out of him out of his clothes. now the cameras are on once again as event yours out to do some good deeds. low key for prince harry. no screaming crowds, just a wry smile and salute. everyone wanted a glimpse of hem out of the privacy of his palace to meet and honor brave children battling illness. >> going forward i'll give it a go. >> reporter: just maybe a hint of what happened a few weeks ago

across the pond. harry could not e 6-year-old jokester. >> i'm joined by an extremely well behaved at least so far 6-year-old alex logan. thank you, alex. >> one of the kids with leukemia being awarded, listen to what he said hours before the ceremony on national tv. >> what are you going to say to prince harry if you bump into him this evening? have you given that any thought yet? what might you say? >> i am glad you have got your clothes on, prince harry. >> i'd try, how are you, sir, and then go for the clothes thing. >> reporter: now being called cheek y, he ended up telling the prince about his stuffed penguin. harry seems to warn him a bit. the last time cameras found harry he looked bashful or stunned after headlines, naked harry partying in his hotel

suite. he seemed to be the life of the pool party before hand as well. now back on the straight and narrow starting with making children smile. >> you've got to say, look, you've got away with it this time. maybe you can get away with it after a very good year but don't let it happen again of that's when people will start finding less sympathy with you. >> harry also visited the paralympics. at least he can rely on sister-in-law pippa middleton to take away the media glare. she was found playing tennis, shoes off, hair down, low key for this member of the family on american shores. did anyone benefit from harry's misadventure? in addition to people trying to sell the photos, the charity did. with everyone watching harry's appearance there, it also focused on the enormous attention that the good the well child organization does. matt. >> all right.

michelle kosinski. thank you very much. you might want to move your car. up next a bizarre crime wave. families caught on tape using grandmother's, even babies to rob stores blind. why police can't seem to catch them. right after this. [ music playing ]

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so it felt really grounded to the ground. [ man ] grounded to the ground? yes, yes! grounded to the ground. [ male announcer ] see their story and more at the camry effect. camry. from toyota. back now at 7:42. this morning on rossen reports, a crime wave sweeping the country police cannot seem to stop. these crimes have a bit of a bizarre twist. today's national investigative correspondent jeff rossen here to explain this. good to see you. >> good to see you. welcome back from tampa. we've heard of organized crime, you think of the mafia.

now there's a new family in town, a crime family taking it to another level using grandparents, small children and even babies to rob stores blind. miss say they call themselves gypsies going to extremes. this morning you're about to see them in action with cameras rolling. this little girl looks lost asking the clerk for help but she's really helping to rob this jewelry store blind. her relative sneaking behind the counter to clean out the safe. at another store this family is using a baby to divert attention as a relative grabs the jewels. >> the woman will carry the baby. it lowered your guard. who is going to think a woman walking into a store with a baby is going to commit a theft. >> reporter: police say that's their mo. this rolling band of family thieves crisscrosses the country robbing at least 11 stores so far using their children as diversions. >> they have been known to possibly pinch the baby to make

it cry. that will divert attention. >> they pinch the baby to make it cry. >> they have been known to pinch the baby to make it cry. >> when the clerk is diverted, the family strikes. they have been tracking them for years. >> sort of a family business. >> mothers, fathers, cousins, brothers, sisters. they are taught to do this from a very young age. >> reporter: she say they are from romania, slipping into the u.s. with one goal, to steal. at this store in illinois, they walked in, looked at jewelry, and some even bought little trinkets. >> people i thought were customers, turns out they were ripping me off. >> back here with the safe. >> and they are cleaning you out. >> cleaning me out. >> john says the family stole $10,000 worth of diamonds and got away clean. it's all a highly orchestrated plot in this houston heights, the family got away with half a million dollars. a few women and a baby are here shopping.

innocent, right? then more family members show up, posing as customers, asking questions. the store owners are suddenly so busy, the family can make its big move. did you see that? look again, a relative sneaks behind the counter and back to the safe undetected, swiping the jewels. even her long skirt is part of the getaway plan. >> once they have committed the crime, how do they smuggle the loot out. >> they wear a booster weapon, tight this around their waist under their skirt. >> shove it in here. >> a pillow case so it doesn't go anywhere. >> exactly. >> right here she's stuffing gold under her shirt police say in one of those booster aprons. it's so full she can barely waddle out. >> i've seen it on 4-year-old children. >> reporter: this one tiny, made for a 4-year-old girl, tiny hearts and all. they dash away disappearing with

the loot. their crimes may be caught on camera but catching this traveling crime family, police say, is nearly impossible. they move constantly and live off the grid. left behind, the helpless victims who lose so much. >> it just made me feel vulnerable. maybe it hardens you a little bit. >> look, polic are frustrated. these crime families keep getting away wit. federal authorities have been able to id a few of them and issued warrants for their arrest. next time they pop up on the border, police hope to nab them. even if they are caught, the punishment, matt, isn't severe at all. no real jail time. >> how do you steal half a million dollars worth of jewelry and not have jail time. >> it's caught on tape, too. >> jeff rossen, thank you very much. up next, an oscar member and former member of the church of scientology about a new claim the church auditioned potential brides for tom cruise. we'll have that right after this.

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we're back now at 7:49 with insight on the claim that the church of scientology auditioned potential wives for tom cruise before his marriage to katie holmes. natalie is here on that. natalie. >> it comes from a new "vanity fair" article. once again the church of scientology is finding itself on the defensive over its best known member. actress katie holmes on the upcoming "vanity fair" with the headline, what katie didn't know, marriage scientology style. after the breakup with nicole kidman and before his romantic whirlwind with katie holmes, the church of scientology had a top secret project to find him a new wife, his third. "vanity fair" article said they set up, quote, an audition process in which actresses

already members were called in, said they were auditioning for a new training film. mark said he saw the project. >> it was under the guys of a tom cruise project but no lines read. they were asking him what do they think of tom cruise. what are they doing in scientology, how far had they progressed in auditing, scientology training. >> reporter: he left the church in 2005 and unsuccessfully sued it while the church accused him of embezzlement, no charges were filed. the whole process led the church to select this actress for cruise. she was a regular last year on the tv show "how i met your mother?" according to "vanity fair" cruise ended the relationship after two months and she was sent to a church center forced to do menial work. the church denies that. but a former scientologist who

directed the oscar winning film "crash" said he knew her and e-mailed and said the actress told him the story. >> she had been collected to be tom cruise's girlfriend and possible wife. when it didn't work out, she was treated very badly by scientology. paul was just appalled by this. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news, the church wrote, quote, the allegations about the church supposedly auditioning prospective brides for tom cruise is a false piece of gossip that's been floating around the tabloids for several years sourced to a group of anti-scientologists. >> the actress's publicist said she had no comment. a spokesperson for tom cruise reiterated, lies in a different font are style lies designed to sell magazines. >> still ahead, jamie lee curtis on the importance of trying something new. we love her. "today's" professionals after your local news. [ female announcer ] over the years,

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good morning, it's 7:56 on this tuesday, september 4th. i'm aaron gilchrist and it's back to school for hundreds of thousands of students in northern virginia today, that includes the 1 1th largest school district in the country, fairfax county. all those extra buses plus parents returning to work after their final summer get aways could mean, well, a nightmare on the roads for you today. let's find out how traffic is moving right now, danella sealock has your first travel update. >> all your lanes are blocked by the crash there. northbound 395 at duke street, accident here in the right shoulder lane and i did see a tow truck arrive to the scene. delays on 395 to the 14th street bridge. underspeed 40 miles per hour. i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. mitt romney's position on women's health...it's dangerous.

vo:mitt romney and paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. and allow employers to deny coverage for cancer screenings and birth control. we can't afford to let him take away our choices... to take away basic health care. vo: both backed proposals to outlaw abortions...even in cases of rape and incest. i don't think that women's health issues have faced a crisis like this in decades. now sink your teeth into that big n' toasted if you're ready to soar. good. exits are here, here, and here. a big day calls for the big n' toasted breakfast sandwich. grab yours at dunkin' donuts.

we're getting a little bit of a break right now. at least the rain is not falling, but take a look. that's our shot. mostly cloudy, very gray and very gunky kind of air with high humidity. 77 is our temperature. there is your radar. only a little weak shower south of frederick along 70. for the afternoon, 80 to 85

the 4th day of december, 2012. kind of a cloudy start in new york city. say hello to everybody gathered in rockefeller plaza. good morning again. i'm savannah guthrie live at the democratic national convention in charlotte, north carolina. matt and al are back in new york city. guys, the convention kicks off, of course, tonight with first lady michelle obama's speech. we will break down what she has to say tomorrow on "today" and talk to president obama's former chief of staff former chicago mayor ram emanuel. we'll show you how much money is spent on lavish parties at these

conventions. that's one thing democrats and republicans have in common. >> all right, savannah. we'll check you out with that tomorrow morning. also morning here from new york "today's" professionals are right inside the building. star, donny and dr. nancy are gathered. among the topics we'll ask them to discuss, if you're drinking a beverage out of a glass, soft drink, wine, beer, does the shape of the glass influence how much you actually drink. we're going to sip on that and some other topics in a few minutes. >> 55-gallon drum. >> that's a bad shape. >> jamie lee curtis is in the house. we love her. she's got a new book. she's going to tell us why she wants us to break out of our comfort zone and try something new with her latest children's book. >> we'll get to that. first inside to natalie at the news desk. she has a check of the headlines. >> good morning, matt and al. good morning, everyone. democrats will have a shot at the spotlight as their

convention gets under way. all eyes will be on michelle obama's who will tout her husband's record on women's issue. over the three-day convention she plans to speak to african-american, hispanic and women's kmpbs and address a gay and lesbian luncheon. a wildfire in angeles national forest disrupted labor day fans for at least 1,000 people who needed to evacuate the blaze. more than 4,000 acres burned since sunday and the rugged steep terrain is making it difficult to contain plains. gulf coast flooded one week after hurricane isaac made landfall. damage from the storm could top $2 billion. gabe gutierrez in la place, louisiana. >> so far 6,000 residents have applied for disaster aid. many feel ignored because new orleans has upgraded levees but they do not.

seven years after katrina, president obama couldn't resist bringing it up. >> i want to particularly thank fema and the state and local authorities, because sometimes in the past we haven't seen the kind of coordination that is necessary in response to these kinds of disasters. this time we've seen it. >> reporter: on the ground for almost three hours in louisiana, he had this pledge for the small town isaac harmed. >> at the federal level we are getting on the case very quickly about figuring out what exactly happened here, what can we do do make sure it doesn't happen again. >> reporter: this is what happened last wednesday morning in laplace, the height of the storm captured on home video. >> i just couldn't believe it was happening. we're friends with all these people. it just breaks your hard. >> they are cleaning up. other neighborhoods, still with standing water, are in worse shape. >> no levee, nowhere to go but

this way. >> reporter: three days after mitt romney toured the region. some residents had this message for president obama. >> i would ask him to make sure people who live in the neighborhood are protected from the floodwaters not just the big cities. >> reporter: the number of customers in louisiana without power dropped significantly overnight to about 44,000. natalie. >> gabe gutierrez laplace, louisiana. thanks, gabe. a look at what's trending, a roundup what has you talking online. actor michael a clark duncan died at 54. he suffered a heart attack and never recovered. he earned an oscar nomination for his supporting role in "the green mile." his co-star tom hanks saying he was the treasure we found on the set. he was magic, a big love of man. his passing leaves us all stunned. the tooth fairy is getting more generous in her old age,

according to a visa survey leaving an average of $3 per tooth under a kid's pillow with a lucky kid getting as much as $20. visa launching iphone and ipad app calculator on the facebook page to keep up with the grog rate. this video going viral of president obama trying to reconnect with american youth and his re-election by enlisting the help of "harold & kumar" at the democratic convention. >> there's a lot at stake here. just remember i'm trusting you on this and i'll see you then. >> who was that? >> the president. >> sweet. [ laughter ] >> kal penn who hosts kumar hosting an online celebrity panel at the convention on thursday. it is 8:05, you're up to date.

another check with al of the weather. >> wow, that's pretty cool. thanks so much, natalie. girls weekend. >> what happens in new york stay in new york? >> absolutely. >> okay. a wink is as good as an eye. let's see what we have forhey, systems out here, but basically the one we're watching, tropical storm leslie. it's moving to the north at 5 and probably will threaten bermuda, but such a big storm, it will probably cause some damaging rip currents and some high waves along the eastern seaboard later this week. look for more showers and thunderstorms down through the southeast along the cold front more rain from the upper midwest through chicago down into st. louis. a beautiful day along the west coast, 87 in l.a. and 76 in seattle, but wet weather and humid here in the northeast on into new england with scattered showers and thunderstorms through atlanta, maybe some airport delays there. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's

happening in your neck of the woods. >> right here, a bleak, very gray start to our day. back to school, back to work. 77 is the temperature currently. wind light out of the south at five miles per hour, but at least it's picking up some and that will help to whip some of the moisture out of the air. frederick, maryland, a light shower there and more rain in west virginia and it's for the afternoon. i think after 1:00, 2:00, we'll see more showers on the radar. possible heavy rain for the afternoon rush, evening rush. the high today, 85 degrees. >> and that's your latest weather. mr. lauer. >> mr. roker, thanks very much. when we come back today's professionals join us inside the studio, star, donny, dr. nancy right after these messages. cist: charles walgreen had a mission to help people be happy and healthy. from inventing the first chocolate malt... to creating a nonprofit pharmacy for our troops... to the first child safety caps.

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like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyder man here to tackle today's hottest headlines. guys, ladies, good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> let's start with this book released, no easy day. this is the story written by a former navy s.e.a.l. about the raid that killed osama bin laden. it's controversial because people say he's broken the code of silence for navy s.e.a.l.s. the pentagon says they may prosecutor the guy if he's deemed to have broken a nondisclosure form he signed. how do we feel about the book.

>> i hate a navy s.e.a.l. has even been put in this position. they are the bravest people. we rely on them. however, if he violated his oath to his fellow s.e.a.l.s, there is a problem with that. >> is it real that you can't write a book about something if you don't give up trade secrets. >> just a matter talking about what a s.e.a.l. does giving up trade secrets. >> my concern is team. i'm wondering if he's writing the book, if he's going to share proceeds with the team. >> he said a lot is going to charity. >> let it all go. is he a hero? >> now former navy s.e.a.l.s he served with came out with an ebook of his own criticizing him -- goes under the name of mark owens criticizing him for breaking the code, saying

unflattering things about his time as a s.e.a.l., he's no longer a s.e.a.l. do two wrongs make a right. >> we're in a society, a royal, a celebrity, a s.e.a.l., if it's not written about, filmed, doesn't exist. >> if there wasn't a osama bin laden, would there be a book and would we care? >> the s.e.a.l.s do something all over the world every day and we don't know about it, which we do not know about it. >> presales are through the roof. a lot of interest. mark owen is in hiding because he's worried about threats against his family. not only from americans but al qaeda. after all, he's writing the story about being one of the guys that killed osama bin laden. >> he wrote under a pseudonym, we know who he is. he's going to be on a television show but under shadow so it's all crazy. >> let's move on. we talk about the nanny state from time to time on this show. there as new program launched by mayor bloomberg in new york city, a voluntary program called latch on, new york city. the goal is to get more new

mothers to breastfeed. what's at the crux of this? >> the crux is we want more women to brust feed. breastfeeding has advantages over bottle feeding. bottles are available to give out to moms but it will now be behind the nurses' station under lock and key, a nurse can get it if requested. >> anyone knows in the past when mothers give birth, they wake up, right in the room there's formula, goodie bags. >> goodie bags disappear and any connection to a pharmaceutical company disappears. >> in new york city our new york city hospitals stopped doing goodie bags a long time ago when it came to pharmaceuticals. >> mayor bloomberg, step away from the breast. listen to me. this is what happens when you have a $20 billion mayor at the end of his third term that says i don't give a damn. the good news and bad news about this guy. this is absurd. >> he feels it's for the public good. >> he feels it's for the public

good. >> some priem agree with him. >> on breastfeeding, phenomenally political left and right. >> it's not the issue. >> what mayor bloomberg has done in the past is say that public health matters, which is why he's gone forward to limiting access to sugary drinks. >> that's different. that's costing taxpayers money. this is not. >> here is the thing that's going to really infuriate women, it's a man telling women what to do. if breastfeeding was so darn easy it wouldn't be an issue. >> thumbs-up or thumb's down. >> thumb's down. >> i don't think necessarily. >> let's move on to you can't handle the truth. this weekend paul ryan vice presidential candidate on the republican side got into a little hot water when he fudged results from a marathon he ran several years ago, said he ran it in low threes or under three, meaning two hours. turns out crack investigators at

runner's world magazine wanted to know more about that. they did a little digging. they found he only ran one marathon when he was 20 years old, ran it in over four years. scale of one to ten. ten is disaster. one is why are we talking about it? >> four. >> five. here is why. i think if you tape recorded every human being 24/7 for a number of years, without knowing it there might be a slip of the tongue. >> he's running for vice president. you don't get a pass on that. >> he's not talking about policy. i genuinely believe -- i'm a democrat. i don't think -- >> why lie? >> counselor, there's no motive. it's not like he all of a sudden -- >> do you think he didn't remember or fudged it. >> you know what, it is impressive to run a marathon in four hours. hell, for me in four days. what i'm saying is you don't have to lie. >> do you actually think this guy said, he's running for office, i'm going to take off an

hour. >> just about everybody who has run a marathon can tell you exactly how long. >> in this day and age you can find the truth everywhere. >> finally university of bristol in england released results of a ground breaking study that may tell you why you or someone you know may drink more alcohol sometimes than others. is it stress? is it hunger? is it football? >> yeah. >> no, it's the shape of the glass that you're drinking out of. >> it's all visual. >> the curvature of a glass is sexier, you're going to continue to drink it and enjoy it. that long, straight glass, that's it. >> the glasses with the tube going into their mouth. >> that's the wrong shape. >> i think it makes sebs. >> you buy into this, all about shape and aesthetics. >> no, we have to many -- >> any shape of any container make you eat or drink more?

>> no. the visual aspect absolutely makes a difference. >> why does it make a difference? >> larger bowls when you think it's this much -- you think you have this much wine, you think you drink more. a smaller glass, taller o. >> for me the pringles container. that you very much. good to see you all. up next award winning actress, author and fantastic person jamie lee curtis right after this. there are project. and there are game-changers. those ideas that start with us rolling up our sleeves... ...and end with a new favorite room in the house. and when we can save even more on those kinds of projects... ...with advice to make them even better... ...that's a game-changer in itself. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. maximize your budget with mosaic tile, starting at just $3.98 per square foot.

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back now at 8:21 with golden globes winner jamie lee curtis. she's known in the movie world but lately a star of children's books. "my brave year of high fives." good morning. >> good morning. >> i love this book of it's so great. you've not done your first movie, not your first child, not your first boork, why a book on firsts. >> i recognize how completely -- what's the term when you say you're going to do something but don't do it. hypocritical. you're a hypocritical parent. you ask children to try new things every day yet we don't do anything new. every single day asking a child to face a fear, reach a new boundary, try new food, try no

activity. come on, try it, you'll like it. you'll like it. yet we as adults don't. so it's a book about trying new things for new children, being brave. yet as adults i hope the message is we have to practice what we preach. >> absolutely. you can dream about being a children's author but it worked so well to you. >> everything that ever happened to me happened by accident. an actor by accident. i met my husband by seeing his picture in a magazine by accident saying i'm going to marry him. >> if only it were so easy. >> that's how it happened. it has been in my way. if i get in the way of something it doesn't work out well. i try to be open in the books that come to me in a way that is organic. it's art. >> true. >> art is organic and these books are organic to me. >> you have to be open to it as the book itself, such a great lesson for that. >> you told me a personal story, i hope you don't mind.

>> no, i said my son had a first yesterday. my 4-year-old had an accident. >> he fell down, bumped his head. you were talking about bravery. >> courage. >> children are brave. we take it for granted that they are brave. they are facing new things every day. your son had a first where he had to face being afraid, having stitches, which is painful, and frightening, the whole energy of an accident. yet he now has done that for the first time. you as a parent have done that for the first time. >> i think it was worse for me than him? >> you're a parent. you want life to be sweet and delicious for children. life is filled with challenges. who learned how to ride a bike and didn't fall off the first time and get a scrape or feel that. i think our ego as adults gets in the way. we don't want to look bad. like if i went to a zumba class,

i would look foolish, i would like uncoordinated and not know what i'm doing. >> you're a gazelle. >> i'm ledden. >> no you are not. in fact, in good housekeeping magazine you sit down and talk with them about how as adults we let ourselves get in the way. as adults we don't do anything new. trying something new and challenging yourself is what life is all about. why is it we're not trying anything as we get older? >> because we're afraid of looking foolish. we're afraid we're going to look bad, and it holds us in a prison. yet we want our children to try new things. so for the magazine, they said what's something if you you've never done. i know this seems silly but i have never done a mile. i'm a leaden runner, top heavy. there's a tweet picture of myself when i ran a 5k. >> the finish line. >> i trained for it. i worked toward it. i was terrified.

i showed up by myself on the day of the race with no one else around me except thousands of other runners, and i faced a fear. could i do it? could i finish? and i was able to complete a te. >> and you did it. you're such a great example. 8:26 on this tuesday september 4th. back to school for thousands of students in northern virginia which includes the largest county in the district, fairfax county. good morning, everybody. ier aaron gilchrist and today is also known as terrible traffic tuesday. danella sealock is here with your traffic report. >> we're slow today and dealing with a few accidents. canal road, all your lanes are blocked and still a work around as you make a right on spring hill road and then a left on old dominion drive and you can connect back to georgetown pike.

let's head over to the inner loop slow crossing the american legion bridge. back over to

meteorologist veronica johnson here, good morning to you. outside, cloudy.

it may be cloudy, but i see this as some of our driest part of our day here. 77 your temperature, again, a gray sky, high humidity and one little lonesome shower there in montgomery county after lunchtime today, rain back, the high 85.

it is 8:30 on tuesday morning, the 4th day of september, 2012. it's a back to school day around the country, back to workday for us. these folks managed to stretch the weekend one more day. we've got to find out how they did that. first of all, matt lauer along

with natalie morales, al roker, savannah is covering the democratic convention in charlotte, north carolina. we'll see more of her tomorrow. recent study looked at all college majors and tried to find out which major would give you the best chance at a lucrative career after you graduate. you want a hint? >> yes. >> history and english did not make the cut. we're going to take a look at what did make the top ten. if you've got a student in college or high schooler thinking about college, this is important information. >> okay. also ahead improving your marriage perhaps by learning from mistakes of others who ended up getting divorced. we're going to talk to the author of a new book saying the title of the book, "you can be right or you can be married" certainly starting a lot of conversations. >> starting fights. >> julian michaels, so low key, such a wall flower.

that's the jillian we know. a tough no nonsense trainer, also a new mom of two. we're going to catch up with her and she's got a special announcement coming up. >> great. congratulations to her. before we do that, how about a check of the weather. >> a little hot and humid, hot sticky and the upper mississippi river valley into the central plains and fantastic day into the northwest and up into the northeast and new england. tomorrow, we expect that risk of strong storms making their way into the upper ohio river valley and heavy rain down through the southeast and sunny and hot from texas and another fabulous day in the pacific northwest and plain states looking nice with sunshine and mild weather. that's what's going on around the country and here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> meteorologist veronica johnson here. not hot outside, but warm and sticky. 77 degrees the temperature currently. one lonesome shower there in montgomery county. today more showers and storms,

especially after about noontime, 1:00. up to a high today of 85 degrees and some of those rains that come through could be heavy in your neighborhood. so, could be looking at more downpours, again. a greater threat of rain wednesday, stormy conditions and then 91 >> don't forget, check the weather any time you need it, go to the weather channel online -- weather channel on cable, weather.com online or as we say in dog, woof woof. >> when we come back, how to improve your marriage by learning from some relationships that have failed. first this is "today" on nbc. i'm a professional stylist but styling my friend's is my favorite. they all love the latest trends but none of them want to pay full price.

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"today's" relationships. this morning how to make your marriage thrive by learning from those who couldn't. why do some couples make it while others fail? it's the ultimate question in the complicated journey of love

and family. >> when i saw sue's photograph, i realized i just knew instantly this was the woman i would marry. >> at first glance bruce and sue have the perfect relationship. they felt like soul mates after meeting in their 20s and they married and had two sons. >> we just really loved each other and it was beautiful. >> but after 15 years they began to drift. >> i just don't think we were expressing ourselves to each other. >> reporter: and bruce met another woman. >> he fell in love. it was very, very hard on both of us. >> reporter: bruce cut it off to try to save their marriage. despite intensive therapy they found it too hard to reconcile. sue found it hard to let go of the hurt. >> once we've gone so long without being in sync, or there's infidelity, the pain is so terrible, we feel so

disrespected, we feel digging our way out is impossible. >> reporter: they didn't let their divorce ruin their friendship. in writing, if you ever need me, i won't be far away, bruce realized their love evolved. despite living separate lives, in many ways they are closer than ever. >> even though the marriage contract is over, the love still remains and i'm sure always will. >> good morning to both of you. great to have you here. >> good morning. >> with that title, "you can be right or you can be married" it's provocative at the very least. what do you mean by it? >> it's a piece of advice given to me by someone i interviewed who came appropriately from her stepmother trying to tell her how to fight productively, if you fight to be right, you fight to win, there's a loser or there's somebody who is going to be not part of the union.

you should never prioritize the individual over the union. it's really just teaching us how to be fair and how to keep the eye on mutual agreement. >> there's a lot of good takeaway in the book. you say success may come from our failures. that's exactly what you found. by interviewing hundreds of men and women and their stories about divorce, some salacious details, including the secret affairs of one woman at the waldorf astoria to the cross dressing husband, what is some of the -- what are some of the most intimate details that you found that we can talk about? >> well, what's interesting about those stories you mentioned, the man who actually is a therapist, who is a cross dresser, his first marriage dissolved because he wasn't able to explore that side of himself. he's someone who likes to dress up like a woman occasionally and be with a man. now in his second marriage, he was really open about his

desires, put it all on the table. this is me, this is what i like, who i am. do you want to get married and have a family. i'm really interested in leading a heterosexual life. now they have two kids. once a week, he is allowed to dress up like a woman and see his boyfriend. >> very open. that's a new definition of an open marriage. right? in the book there's a lot of stories about infidelity. you actually concluded in the cases where there was adultery, the marriages didn't end because of the act. most of the time people cheated because they were unhappy at home. do you think people are driven into affairs? is that what you found by talking to those couples? >> that's a slippery slope to say you made me do it. i think the key to any relationship is really taking responsibility. if you're unhappy really expressing that and saying i'm unhappy because of x, y, off z and let's try to work on it. a lot of times people are seeking validation elsewhere because they feel unloved, unseen, unsexy. they become very vulnerable to the attention of other people. i do think a lot of times they

are unhappy at home. rarely will you find a couple very, very happy together and one of them -- >> cheats. let's bring in the therapy session here. what are some of the most common mistakes couples do make? >> people fail to protect quality time, couple time. you get so difficult with kids, job, extended family members. you forget you're a couple first. so often people become invisible to each other. they don't have that way of reconnecting. oftentimes they don't talk about stuff. that pink elephant becomes a stampede. you have to talk about hot button topics likes sex and money, difficulties you have. if you don't talk about it, it becomes problematic. sharing way too much information about your relationship with other people, have one confidant, not someone who won't understand, when gow to family dinner nobody talking to them.

>> sometimes people think divorce is the best solution. even if the are kids involved, couples are simply incompatible. are there ways to work through, if you are couples fighting to keep that marriage going? >> there's many ways to work through it. sometimes you have to focus on the positive. lots of times we can give you a laundry list of the negative things. at the end of the day we focus on what we do have rather than what we don't have. nurturing the relationship is key. if the grass is greener, maybe you better water the grass on your own side. focus on the love language. that can help lots of things. >> i know you're single. are you going to stay single after writing the book? >> i think the book has given me very helpful voices in my head. >> enlightened man, good husband material. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> again, the book is called "you can be right or you can be married." coming up next, the most lucrative college majors for

your kids but first this is "today" on nbc. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios

>> back at 8:43. in this economy many college graduates are finding it can be really hard to get jobs right out of school. but there are professions that are hiring and paying pretty good salaries. kaitlyn, the online editor for kiplinger's personal finance magazine which just ranked the ten best college majors that can lead to lucrative careers. is that the criteria, salary, availability of jobs? is that what drove this ranking? >> we were looking at four things, median salary, unemployment rates for graduates and starting salary. >> one thing you found is students heading to college might stop and think how long they need to go. it's not necessarily all about four year degrees.

>> there are some associate degrees that have better job prospects that bachelor degrees. >> let's get right to the list, medical assisting services, people who help with administrative services for doctors. why is that good? >> right out of school, 2.9 unemployment rate. basically graduates are assured a job. >> what's the salary. >> mid-40s to $50,000. >> pretty good starting salary. >> yes. >> number nine, management information systems. this is basically work in the i.t. field. >> this is people doing i.t. for major corporations, a lower unemployment rate but you see a strong salary, starting at $51,000. >> number eight is an interesting one, construction services. people looking at this difficulty recovery saying not a lot of people are building things. you have a caveat, a certain kind of service. >> ecofriendly, retrofitting old buildings. because the population is

growing, more buildings and roads. ecofriendly. next three are specialized industries but still only require a bachelor's degree, medical technologies, electrical engineering and chemical engineer, number five. doesn't have the greatest job growth but you think look to the future. >> a lot of chemical engineers are expected to retire in the next 10 years. >> that presents opportunities for people looking for jobs. number four you have treatment therapy professions. what are those. >> a little bit of a mouthful. essentially talking about things like recreational therapists, radiation therapists, those type of careers. >> do they require only four-year degree. >> they do. >> only four year degree. >> uh-huh. >> number three you have transportation sciences and technology. i don't remember seeing that on my college brochure. what exactly does that mean? >> a little vague. wieber talking about air nautical, aviation technology. these people are probably going to work for airline

manufacturers. >> what kind of job availability is there out there for these people. >> it's good. a growing field. again, this is another place where we expect a lot of people to retire in the next decade or so. >> looked at the median salary, starting out in the 50s with growth beyond that. >> absolutely. >> number two is going to surprise people, let's spend a little time on that, nursing. >> nursing is an excellent field first because there's so much demand, only 2.2% unemployment rate, which is extraordinary. salaries are also pretty strong. >> what about the requirements in terms of time studying. >> that can go either way. some states will actually allow a nurse with an associate's degree to practice. as with all other things if you stay two more years, get the bachelors you're going to have a better job prospects. >> are prospects better regionally. with all of these things do you need to make sure you're in the right part of the country to take advantage of these opportunities? >> you're going to need nurses anywhere but in rural areas,

underserved cities better perks. >> the number one major you think will provide for possibly lucrative careers, pharmacy and pharmacology. >> really the way to go. 100 top majors, most popular in the u.s., only one with a six-figure salary. so over the course of your career, you can expect to make about $105,000 as a pharmacist. >> can you really get one of these jobs with just a bachelor's degree? >> that's a great question. to be a pharmacist you do need to have some kind of post grad position, pharmacologist or researcher in a lab you can get those jobs after four years. >> communications, history and english, how did they do? >> not so well. >> it's not just me. there's a lot of us in here. kaitlyn, thanks very much. appreciate it. up next, a no nonsense trainer jillian michaels on becoming a new mom and getting your kids in shape. first this is "today" on nbc.

break into a sweat. she's tough, fit, called extreme. jillian michaels a household name as a trainer on the biggest loser before leaving the show in may of last year. jillian michaels is back. good morning. >> good morning. >> big announcement. >> big announcement. yes. so there's been a lot of talk swirling around and the time is now to finally announce i will be returning to the show for the

next season in january. >> all right. fantastic. people are clapping out there. they are excited out there. >> that's cute. oh my gosh. that's so cute. >> what made you decide to come back? >> the show has chosen to take on something very controversial. they are going to go after childhood obesity. there are going to be three teenagers on each team. they are not going to be on the ranch. they are not going to be competing, but it's obviously something that needs to be handled with kid gloves but something that needs to be handled. as a mom of two and a person who was an overweight kid, it's something i'm really passionate about and i want to be involved with. >> the show is going to start in january, which is not the usual time. that's the time when people are -- a new year, people looking for new beginnings. was that part of the reasoning? >> that is part of the reasoning, absolutely. let's capitalize on the momentum of a new year. but at the same time i think the show feels it has reached a huge level of success and feels a

responsibility that comes with that and wants to make an impact on this enormous problem we're suffering as a nation. >> look, this is a very tricky topic. >> i know. >> kids egos, their psyche. you can't do what you did with adults with children? >> absolutely not. the producers of the show have been consulting some of the top experts, ped triatricians, psychologists. we won't be saying to kids, how much weight did you lose? it will be using words like healthy, not getting them on a scale. getting them on a softball team. we're cognizant how controversial and cognizant. that's exactly where i want to be, right in the sweet spot, right in the frying pan. i couldn't miss an opportunity to be a part of it. >> speaking of jumping into the frying pan. so here you've got no kids, and

now, lo and behold, you've got two kids. >> two kids. >> two and a half-year-old and a newborn. >> he's four months now. >> yes. >> still got that new baby smell? >> he does. it's been such an incredible -- there they are. it's been such an incredible ride. i'm still adjusting, obviously. i don't know that i'll ever be fully be adjusted to it but there's nothing like it. it brings a whole new level of meaning to your life. >> you adopted, and then your partner had a baby. >> yes. >> how has it changed your life? has hasn't it? >> we don't have enough time for -- in every way. but the one thing it really has given me is this incredible perspective about what matters and what disroesn't. you really understand what's important, what you get upset about when you have kids, little things mean nothing. they are everything to you. your life, everything you do, you do for them. >> you are a bit of a control freak. how are you dealing with this? >> it's a challenge.

i'm not going to pretend like it's not a challenge. there are days when i'm definitely tearing out my hair. my daughter -- i was saying earlier my daughter, god has presented me with a 2-year-old mirror. she does everything, a mini me, no, no, no, no. get the hand, no. what do you mean no? what do you mean no? it's incredible, she's her own little person beaming through the universe. >> kids struggling with this health issue, what would that be? >> first, you are your child's primary role model. i'll put my kids on the battpad board, we go paddle boarding, in the side car biking. even though they are not exercising because they are little, they are seeing you do it. >> lead by example. >> lead by example. >> jillian michaels, so great to see you. great news, fantastic.

inside a new park avenue appear, first your local news and weather.

good morning, everyone. 8:56 on this tuesday, september 4th with school buss and parents returning to work after their final summer get aways, the roads could be quite a mess today. let's find out how the traffic is moving with danella sealock and your first 4 traffic report. >> thanks, angie. here's the situation.

good news in northwest. beach drive had a tree down but now your lanes are open. i-270 very jammed. i'll give you a look at you make your way past shady grove. no accidents, just jammed. i like to score my designer shoes and handbags early. so i shop at t.j.'s. i get my favorite brands without having to wait for them to go on sale someplace else. done! fashion direct from designers. savings direct to you. t.j.maxx. better phone, better internet. it was like somebody like took our computer, shook all the junk out of it. we're actually getting more for our money with fios. [ male announcer ] it's time to get more for your money. upgrade to verizon fios internet, tv and phone

with our best price online. just $84.99 a month, guaranteed for one year with no annual contract. there's at least three computers. [ girl 1 ] a tablet. couple of gaming systems. we could all be running at the same time. we do not notice any dips. [ male announcer ] get tv rated #1 in customer satisfaction. and get the school year off to a great start with america's fastest, most consistent and most reliable internet. internet is absolutely imperative for school nowadays. look up this, write an essay on that. my life is greatly improved because of fios. [ male announcer ] move up to fios today for just $84.99 a month for a year. with no annual contract, there's no reason to wait. you should totally get fios. [ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/hotprice. that's verizon.com/hotprice. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. welcome to the value you deserve. welcome to life on fios. ♪

good morning. meteorologist veronica johnson here. overcast outside but we have just gone up a degree. 778 your temperature. the radar pretty quiet right now. it will get busy, though, after about lunchtime today. 80 to 85 degrees your high temperatu temperature. the rain that comes in later today could be heavy in some neighborhood giving us more of those downpours and some isolated spots as what we saw yesterday. even more rain expected tomorrow and then those showers finally dwindle on thursday. >>

we're back with more of "today" tuesday morning, the 4th day of august, 2012. a little muggy here in the new york area. we've got some nice people here stretching out the holiday weekend keeping their weekday going with us on the plaza. nice of them to stop by. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with al roker. he's with us while savannah is in charlotte, north carolina. >> good to be here. we're going to talk to ivanka trump. we're going inside her 10 bedroom apartment. she and her husband and young

daughter share it. we're going to get a little virtual tour courtesy of ivanka herself. >> yes. she'll be on set and we'll show some photos. >> we'd like that. >> we didn't like bust into her house. >> i think they knew about it prior to this. >> otherwise it's breaking and entering. >> not so good. also by the way, got all these summer barbecues, summer fun. now it's time to get serious about your diet again. this morning joey bauer is here to be a kill joy and answer your most pressing questions when it comes to cholesterol and blood pressure. very important. >> jason was just asking me the question, matt, what's going to be hot on your feet this fall. this morning just for jason, we're going to give you the answer. look at some of the -- those aren't for jason, other people. >> top left, those are mine. i'm calling those. >> take a look at the top foot fashions for fall. before we get to that, let's go inside. natalie standing by. she has a check of the headlines. good morning, natalie.

>> good morning to you guys. good morning, everyone. some 500 firefighters are trying to contain a growing wildfire in california that forced campers to evacuate. the angeles national forest over the labor day weekend. more than 4,000 acres have burned and at least four people injured including two firefighters. the steep and rugged terrain is making containment difficult. meantime a separate wildfire is spreading in the loss padres national forest. michelle obama speaks to millions of americans in her prime time address as the democratic national convention gets under way in charlotte, north carolina. the first lady toured the convention arena on monday and plans to speak to minority caucuses the next few days. attorneys for michael jackson state and they are asking that a businessman that collaborated with the singer be paid millions for copy right infringe men. a judge ruled howard mann's did

violate the estate copyrights. his attorneys rejected a $2 million sellingment last week. closing argument set today at the murder trial of former chicago area police officer drew peterson. he's accused of killing his third wife kathleen savio found dead in her bathtub in 2004. peterson was charged after his fourth wife stacy peterson disappeared three years later. stunned and devastated. that's how some hollywood heavyweights are feeling after the death of actor michael clarke duncan. duncan died monday in los angeles after suffering a heart in july from which he never fully recovered. he and in blockbusters such as "armageddon" and "the green mile," a film that earned him an oscar nomination. duncan was just 54 years old. a new study finds eating organic may not necessarily be healthier for you. stanford researchers found no fruit or vegetable showed no difference between organic and

conventional. however, they did find organic produce is 30% less likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues and lowers resistance to antibiotics. how is this for a shopping spree, seven suits worn by british prime minister margaret thatcher fetched a total of $115,000 at a charity auction in london. the top price was $30 grand for a green wool outfit thatcher wore on the day she was confirmed as conservative party leader. and britain's prince harry made his first public appearance last night since the scandal last month involving nude photos in las vegas. harry attended an award ceremony for children with life threatening illness. one intended to tell a cheeky joke instead ended up playing with his penguin. back to al for a check of the weather. >> always a good idea to play it

safe. folks from slidell, a beautiful baby there. what's her name? >> sophia. >> who is this. >> elana. >> this is elana's big sister. >> olivia. >> olivia and elana. sweet birthday. let's check it out and see what we have got for you for today. well, more rain and this is actually the remnants of isaac working its way combining with a cold front bringing heavy showers and thunderstorms from michigan and wisconsin all the way to the northeast and new england. some areas along the coast going to be picking up anywhere from three to five inches of rain. rain stretching all the way down to florida and georgia. we're looking for a beautiful day in the pacific northwest and the heat continues in the mid-plains down into texas. that's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> storm team 4 meteorologist here. stay umbrella ready today. we have 78 for a temperature and humidity very high, again. but on the radar, we're pretty

quiet currently. after about lunchtime today, 12:00, 1:00, that's when our rain chances increase and by the time we get to late afternoon, evening hours heavy rain in few locations and 80 to 85 degrees your high temperature for today. i expect even more rain tomorrow with a weather front coming in. 87 for a high and then 91 as the rain finally ends on thursday. weather. natalie, jason. >> all right, al. thanks so much. this morning on "today's" home, we're going inside a celebrity home. >> ivanka trump allows cameras inside her apartment for the upcoming issue of decor. we're getting the sneak peek first. the vision of your apartment, really about designing with the idea of your daughter who is now one-year-old but the time you were pregnant with her. >> i was pregnant. i was three months out from having our first child. i was incredibly in this nesting stage. everything had to be absolutely

perfect. i was going through the apartment with a fine tooth comb looking for a paint chip. then she was born and it started the slow deterioration. >> you basically were in charge of the interior design for the entire trump hotel collection which is a feat in itself. it makes me curious, how is your home design voice different from your business design voice. >> it's funny. we have major projects going on, including doral we bought in florida, washington, d.c. great conversion of a historic property. i spent a lot of time thinking about how people use their space and maximize liveability. obviously with a toddler running around, it's incredibly important at home as well. making sure an environment has an elegance and glamor appropriate for entertaining but also not so precious that it's not livable. >> i think you say in the article you wanted a place where you could put your feet up on the table, it could feel lived in. >> it's not really like i have a

choice. i think regardless my husband would put his feet up. i'm just knowing to accommodate that in advance. >> i can speak for the guys, there's nothing worse than walking into a really nice house and being afraid to sit down and not put your feet on the coffee table. you took that into account and he's okay. >> he's happy. he had very few requests. the ones he did have were fulfilled. for us it's about creating a home, a space for arabella to run around. i worked with a great interior decorator, who is a joy to work with. we had a lot of fun. there's nothing better. >> we were looking at a couple of pictures. i was noticing the dining room, living room. >> arabella's room. >> the nursery. >> that's your favorite room. why is that? obviously besides your daughter being beautiful and in that room for the first time. >> as a first time mom just the joy of being able to design a nursery was incredible for me. i used a lot of pottery barn, restoration hardware, nothing too fragile or precious.

but it was really fun. it's funny, you can tell this is my first. all i wanted was an all white nursery. i guarantee my next child there will be dark carpet. so i have some challenges keeping it that pristine. >> the color in the nursery, i know it helps stimulate the baby's brain if you have color. you wanted to go all white but did you cheatnd throw color. >> i have a beautiful cloud design on the ceiling, black and white. i did get nervous reading baby books, color is the first thing to do for your child to stimulate them. within a week i had a tacky, ultracolorful mobiles around the crib which ruined everything. that's life interfering with design. >> what about the dining room, was there -- i guess something we can all take away from the design influence there, do you design around a certain piece or collectible in mind? how did that come about? >> i try for each room to find something i love and inspire me.

like you said, take that as a cue for the rest of the space. in the dining room i found this ceiling fixture by a great glass artist. she's terrific. we have another piece similar to that elsewhere in the apartment. that was real the cue from which everything else evolved. >> do you and jared have the same taste? >> we do and we don't. i think he tends towards more stark, more contemporary where i have a little bit more of an eclectic pallet, i like a little more color. it was a fun exercise. you can tell which rooms are which. >> the color here, is this your office or his office? >> this is our deny. the computers are side by side. at the end of the day we rush home, when we can, to spend the night with arabella. when she goes to sleep we get to work again. it's nice to do that next to each other. >> how about the master bedroom? whose influence won over there.

>> the master bedroom is very jared's taste. he'd like to get rid of throw pillows. he thinks some things are unnecessary. >> he's on the pillow thing. al hates the pillow through. >> that's the first thing we do, throw it on the ground. >> what's the point of beautiful pillows, throw them on the floor. >> it's a good thing. also the fur blanket. he doesn't under the purpose of that one. i think the clean style, very modern, soothing, is a nice reflection of both of us. >> are you guys done decorating right now because if you're not we're all in trouble. it looks really good. >> you're never really done. we have the conversation about when we start to think about having another child, which is the first room to go. that's the fun thing. we're always moving in new art. we love contemporary art. so it's obviously that can change really the character of a room. >> and you're getting ready to get back in the boardroom for "celebrity apprentice" again.

>> yes. >> when does that start up. >> filming next month. >> how do you fit that in your schedule? >> it's wild but it's a lot of fun. we film right here in new york and it's the 14th season if you can believe it. >> the celebrities, do you know who is on it yet? you can't share. >> you know, this is the network right here, nbc, but, no, i've sworn away arabella, my firstborn child. >> not getting anything. >> soon we'll find out. ivanka trump, great to have you here. a beautiful apartment. thank you. coming up next, answers to your diet dilemmas. >> later in the hour, how to send your kids to college for free, for real, but first these messages. ah. fire bad! just have to fire roast these tomatoes. do you churn your own butter too? what? this is going to give you a head start on your dinner. that seems easier sure does who are you? [ female announcer ] new progresso recipe starters. five delicious cooking sauces you combine with fresh ingredients to make amazing home-cooked meals.

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this morning on joey's diet s.o.s. answers today's diet dilemma. nutritionist joey bauer is here to tell you everything you need to know about cholesterol. >> we're going to drive down the numbers. >> so important, too. let's get started. from kelly in knoxville, tennessee via skype. she's joining us there. kelly, what's your question? >> hey. >> hey, kelly. >> hi, kelly. >> i'm a 21-year-old college student trying to eat healthy on a budget. scrambled eggs for dinner along with fruits and veges. >> her question, eggs are good for protein but not good for cholesterol so should she limit the number of eggs she eats. >> eggs are tricky. she's right. eggs are packed with protein and they have a lot of good for you

stuff but the yellow yokes have cholesterol and a lot of cholesterol and a few grams of saturated fat. for kelly she doesn't have high cholesterol. she's healthy, she's fit. i would say she wants to limit her yokes to one a day or seven total for the week. she can either have a couple scrambled eggs a few nights each week or every night by taking one whole egg and mixing it with two or three egg whites. she can also buy the egg substitute at thetore like egg beaters or smart eggs or generic store brands, whatever is on sale. for people with high cholesterol you want to limit the yokes even more, no more than three a week. >> stretch it by making an omelet with vegetables. >> stuff it with vegetables, herbs, seasonings and spices. >> we hope you heard take. >> thanks, kelly. >> a viewer e-mail from ann arbor, michigan. my husband and i both have high cholesterol.

i'm pretty sure we're eating all the wrong foods. it's unrealistic to completely change our diet but definitely motivated to make changes. what are foods best for making changes. >> there are a gazillion foods to drive down numbers. two standouts worth mentioning. lent lentils, first of all cheap, sky high fiber, a lot is soluble fiber which acts as a cholesterol magnet. it attaches to cholesterol and escorts it right out of your system. >> escorts it. please, would you leave. thank you very much. >> if she goes out of the way with her husband to have two meals that feature lentils it will be great. the second is pistachio. they have a a compound that blocks cholesterol in the lower part of the gut. studies show if you have one to two handfuls you can significantly reduce bad

cholesterol. those two foods in great shape. >> lentil, pistachio. that's great. now to the phone with ted. he's calling in from belton, texas. good morning, ted. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> are there any foods to add to the diet to increase good cholesterol. i'm paying a higher insurance premium because my ratio. >> most people ask about bad cholesterol. just to clarify, bad cholesterol ldl. l for lousy and you want that number to be low. hdl is the good cholesterol. >> happy. >> h for happy or hero. you want that to be high. we think that it could have some protection for your heart. now, in order to that, first is definitely aerobic exercise. if you go out of your way 30 minutes a day, swimming or

walking or running or dancing you can increase hgl by 5 to 10%. that is huge. the second thing is increase fish three times per week. if you go out of the way to eat omega 3 rich, salmon, sardines, rainbow trout. i'll tweet them out. that will give it an extra nudge. lay low. stop eating all the white refined starch, white rice, bread, pretzels, sugary treats. that drives down cholesterol. joe michaels if he's in the control room will like this one. if you don't have a health issue that precludes you from drinking alcohol, enjoy a glass a night. half to one glass of wine, a shot of liquor with club soda or fruit juice can drive up that good cholesterol. >> in joe's case, one is the problem. >> no, you've got to do one. if you drink more than that,

then you sort of undo the benefits. sorry, joe. >> joey bauer, thanks so much. still ahead, the fall season's hottest new trends in footwear. first these messages. kathie lee on the phone? [ diana ] power was very important to me. we test-drove the camry, took it on the freeway, and it was just like -- this was the car for me. [ ryan ] it has stuff that guys like, like the rims and the sleekness to the body. and, then, had the bluetooth and the navigation that diana really wanted. [ diana ] and it was a sport edition, so it felt really grounded to the ground. [ man ] grounded to the ground? yes, yes! grounded to the ground. [ male announcer ] see their story and more at the camry effect. camry. from toyota. at the camry effect. oliv camry. from toyota. never ending pasta bowl is back! endless combinations of pasta and sauce for just $9.95. plus, never ending sausage and meatballs for just $2.95 more. the pasta never ends but the offer does. only at olive garden.

don't hide behind your lipstick. use it to show the world how you feel. and today, i feel daring. [announcer:] revlon super lustrous lipstick. mega moisturizing formula in 82 stay true colors. and now she's made us breakfast. [ male announcer ] eggo nutri-grain waffles. you know it's made with 8 grams of whole grain and is a good source of fiber. all they know is it tastes great. eggo nutri-grain waffles.

there's no subtext... just tacos. yeah, it's our job to make you want it. but honestly... it's not that hard. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican.

coming up, how to score free college tuition. not a bad thing there. some hot tips for you. >> hottest styles in footwear for fall. >> they slice, dice, make mounds of julienne fries. some of the quickies as seen on tv products. >> but wait there's more. ♪

were you just... no. are you supposed to be driving that in here? no! yo! teresa here? ♪ no. so is it okay if i stay out just a little bit longer? so...okay... so no. did mom say we could eat all that? [ john ] yes. [ male announcer ] in a world filled with "no," it's nice to finally say "yes." the new line of oscar mayer selects. the tastes you love and no artificial preservatives. it's yes food. and these are the ones you'll love on a school night. pillsbury crescent dogs with just a few ingredients you have an easy dinner... pillsbury crescent dogs... school night ideas made easy.

good morning, it's 9:26 on this tuesday, september 4th. back to school for hundreds of thousands of students in northern virginia. the extra parents and the return from labor day weekend could cause a traffic mess this morning. danella sealock has your first 4 traffic report. what do you say? >> still checking out some issues in montgomery county, as well. still seeing some delays, but not too terrible, it is bad, though. outer loop of the beltway slow as you make your way over to georgia avenue. traveling on the inner loop is slow and outer loop, once you pass the american legion bridge, you are heavy on the brakes as you get closer to the dulles toll road.

good news, no accidents in this area. back over to

storm team 4 meteorologist veronica johnson here.

the sunshine having a tough time breaking through that cloud deck where the temperature has just gone up one degree. we're at 79 degrees and a light wind out of the south and that's how quiet the radar is right now. for the afternoon, you can see light showers up around heavy load in america. but mitt romney plan, a middle class to $2,000 more a year in taxes. multi-millionaires like himself hits the middle class harder... bigger break. forward for america? this message.

it's amazing he hasn't exploded yet. guy has taken us to the best diners, his own sunglasses line you have to wear on the back of your head and opened his new restaurant. that's not all. we'll talk to guy about everything he has going on tomorrow on "today." >> i don't know what it is but it certainly was low cal. al roker with natalie morales, jason kennedy. >> good to be here.

i'm very excited about this next story. i've been a victim myself. you've seen the ads on tv and probably thought about buying them. how well do products like the salad chopper and new wave oven really work. are they worth the cash? we'll put them to the test. >> the fall season is here, why not treat yourself to some new shoes. sharkly ones for you, al. check out the hottest treends you'll want on your feet. >> no place like home. to pay for those shoes we'll show you how to pay for your higher education, go to college or sends your kids there for free or almost next to nothing. >> sounds too good to be true but it's not. >> no. >> first a check of the weather for you. >> see what yabsolutely. let's see what we have for you. starting with today strong storms stretching their way from the upper great lakes and wet weather along the eastern seaboard and fantastic day in the pacific northwest and sizzling from texas to the southwest and into the mid-plains. for tomorrow, a risk of strong

storms in the central great lakes back into the upper mississippi river valley and heavy rain along the southeastern atlantic coast and the western third of the country, sizzling, hot, beautiful, again, in the pacific northwest with sunshine and temperatures in the mid to upper 70s to the low 80s. >> storm team 4 meteorologist veronica johnson. good morning to you. coming up on 10:00 here before long. we've got cloudy skies and not much in the way of rain falling currently and after lunchtime showers back and even heavy rain and your high today, 85 degrees. a better chance of rain tomorrow, 87. in fact, it could be stormy at times on wednesday. thursday, your showers linger, there's a 30% chance, the high 91. right now friday looks like our one dry day before weekend rains and that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. coming up next, from loafers to lace-ups, the hottest styles for the season after this.

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this morning on "today's" style, fall shoe trends, labor day is coming on. it's time to rev up your fall wardrobe. editor from style.com. good morning. >> good morning. >> accessories are an easy way to jazz up your fall wardrobe. we're doing it with shoes today. >> also really affordable. as any shoe obsessed woman knows nothing it make an outfit like a shoe. hottest trends for fall. >> let's take a look. a lot of colored suede, beautiful. >> it's absolutely everywhere. as you know, color has been king on the runway. we're also seeing it in our

shoes. one of the first trends of colored suede we're seeing is multi-colored shoes, bold, color stripe. this little pump here just $94. >> pretty. >> you get three colors in one pump. >> nice wedge. >> we are loving a wedge at gilt. what we love about it, it's such a solid great fall look. these are by boutique 9, $69, a whole array of colors in suede. a key for platform wedge is the ankle strap. it's chic but keeps your foot in there. >> booties here i love. >> love a bootie for fall. give an edge to absolutely anything. from bright yellow to urban outfitters to a great sort of '60s inspired two-toned swayed. these are $174, a little splurge

but such a statement maker. also western inspired. >> cobalt blue. >> yes. >> let's move to men's wear inspired shoes. this is a fun trend. >> it is. >> a lot of different ways to go about this. >> let's hear it for the boys this fall. menswear inspired looks are everywhere from fashion to shoes. as we said, one of the easiest ways to get in on a trend is through a shoe. loafers are everywhere. >> from leopard to wild colors. >> leopard to wild color, tassels. we love the high-healed lover, sexy take on men's wear. these are lovely people, $2. loafers. cobalt is one of the colors for fall. a great way to get in. >> sort of lace ups from wing tip inspired to glitter from target. lastly we have the lace-up

trend. we're seeing everything from high-heeled takes on the hiking boots. >> saddle shoe. >> old-fashioned saddle shoe with a higher heel, peek toe sexy version, high-heeled version of oxfords. >> blingy. over here to pumps, which are always in style. these are dressed up. >> absolutely. we've seen this season pump updated with cap toe. >> love that. gorgeous. >> very chanel, very classic. we've got great round toe patent leather with tweed, j. crew, tone on tone h&m, fantastic pump from steve madden, $129, a little bit of a splurge. but the nude shoe elongates the leg, love the metallic, updated and will go with everything. >> the chunkyer heel.

>> we were just talking about the chunkier heal. >> move over stiletto. this is supposed to be more comfortable. >> very chunky. >> great from this, one of our favorites, clean, block heel from zara, $89. >> with a pair of tights really adds to a great look, right? >> absolutely. >> here a couple more dressup, leopard pattern. >> these are by ann klein, $79. we like to say the leopard pump is a secret weapon in a woman's closet, jazzes up any closet. leopard print works as a neutral, goes with everything. embellished looks, men's suiting material, houndstooth. >> let's move here, finally t-straps back to the '20s, in style everywhere.

>> seeing bold color, lots of pattern from j. crew to really sexy and actually very versatile black patent leather. these are $60. metallics. >> everywhere. >> huge red carpet, runway. >> sequinned shoe. >> sequinned and also glitter. lastly the platform. these sort of bring in a couple other decades, more chunky look from the 1940s by iron fist to sort of sexy disco shoe. >> very cool. >> charles david, $100. >> i love fall already. not here yet but love the trends. thanks so much. great stuff. coming up next, inside tips on how to pay for college and even attend for free right after this. ♪ [ upbeat ] [ barks ] [ announcer ] all work and no play... will make allie miss her favorite part of the day. [ laughing ] that's why there's beneful baked delights.

from crispy crackers to shortbread cookie dog snacks, they're oven-baked to surprise and delight. beneful baked delights: a unique collection of four snacks... to help spark play in your day. can dodge a question. honey, how'd that test go? [ female announcer ] in just 60 seconds, you've got snack-defying, satisfying totino's pizza rolls. mmmm. mmm hmmm. mmmm. [ female announcer ] it's on. let's roll. like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. and there's juicy chicken hellmann's is the secret to making parmesan crusted chicken so juicy so delicious it's your secret to making dinner disappear hellmann's. bring out the best

delicious. angry satisfied customer... if this image robbed you of the great taste of untopped triscuit, register your complaint online [ screams ] for a free box. oh. [ male announcer ] 100% whole grain woven for an untoppable taste. [ crunch ] [ male announcer ] 100% whole grain he is a good little monkey and always very curious. one day george got an important letter... he's built a rocket ship to travel into space. google, how far is earth to the moon? moon is 238,900 miles... the great moment had come... ...3...2...1

(belhi.ings) good morning. big news. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry... and banana/blueberry. we're telling everyone. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. try some. mmm! two flavors. in harmony. yummy. four nutritious grains and two big fruit flavors to make your day bunches better. this morning on "today's" money, how to attend college for free. with tuition cost going up each

year, higher education is harder and harder to afford. there are some exceptions, a personal finance expert and the host of financially fit on yahoo!. good to see. >> good to be here. >> the idea when you keep looking at colleges, especially if you've got a newborn or young kid, it is frightening. >> private tuition at four-year institutions now is about $114,000. you look at that, very easy to get discouraged. what you have to keep in mind, there are ways to get that degree. you have to think outside the box and do a little extra research. >> one of the ways is to go to a college that's tuition-free. >> it sounds too good to be true. there are a handful of colleges around the country that offer tuition-free scholarships to all of their students. in new york we've got, for example, cooper union. we have alice lloyd college in kentucky. the curtis institute of music in pennsylvania. what you need to keep in mind with schools that offer free tuition. they are small, small campuses.

if you're looking for that big college experience you might not find it in these cases. the curriculum is narrow. for example you might just be able to study music at one school, architect you're at another. if you're adamant about a specific degree you may not find it at these schools. >> hard to get in with free tuition. >> cooper, 7%, alice, 7%. very competitive obviously, who wouldn't want free tuition. >> hello. another way you say to go is to look at state programs that can be very generous. >> very generous. a simple news search, type in free college tuition. i did this and found a lot of great articles talking about michigan 2020, which is this plan, democratic plan proposing to give all high school seniors in michigan a $9500 stipend essentially to go to school within the michigan tate school system. so you know, this is applicable to michigan residents.

the big takeaway here if you are interested in going to college and saving money, take it from me, a penn state grad, look at your colleges in your state. your community colleges, your state schools. you'll save 70% going to these schools. by the way, states have an incentive to keep scholars and kids with high gpas in the state. it's a direct correlation to boosting the economy in the state. if you have a good gpa, apply for the scholarships at these schools. you might get full scholarship. >> cindy oswego. >> high-five. >> full scholarships, how hard are they to get. >> apply early and cast a wide net. i interviewed for this particular beat, the editor of fast web.com. a huge scholarship database. he's also the writer of secrets to winning -- the secret to winning a scholarship. what he said, you've got to start early. this myth you have to have straight as to qualify is just a myth. there's lots of scholarships for kids who have excellence in

certain areas, maybe it's science, maybe it's art. start early. start your freshman year of high school. also corporate scholarships, intel, coca-cola, microsoft, they have very generous scholarships. in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars every year to students. scholarships.com should be a must go resource. >> one of the places people don't think about is the armed forces. >> absolutely. the tradeoff there is very significant. it's not for everybody. but we're talking naval academy, merchant marine academy, military cad any not only offering full tuition but room and board, health care and also a stipend. so what you have to prepare for, if you're going to go into this is obviously knowing you're going to have to give about five years of service when you graduate. great opportunities for a lot of people who want to serve the country. >> great advice. things for people to think about and start early. >> start early. >> coming up, they come with big claims. are they worth your money?

we're going to test out five "as seen on tv" products but first this is "today" on nbc. [ taste buds ] donuts, donuts, donuts! who are these guys? oh, that's just my buds. bacon, donuts. -my taste buds. -[ taste buds ] waffles. how about we try this new kind of fiber one cereal? you think you're going to slip some fiber by us? rookie. okay. ♪ nutty clusters and almonds, ♪ ♪ almonds. ♪ fiber one is gonna make you smile. ♪

[ male announcer ] introducing new fiber one nutty clusters and almonds. with 43% daily value of fiber for you. crunchy nutty clusters and real almond slices for your taste buds. prcandidate is more likely toion return us to full employment. this is a clear choice. the republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper-income... people and go back to deregulation. that's what got us in trouble in the first place. president obama has a plan to rebuild america from... the ground up, investing in innovation, education... and job training. it only works if there is a strong middle class.

that's what happened when i was president. we need to keep going with his plan. president obama: i'm barack obama and... i approve this message. this morning on "today's" consumer, as seen on tv products. you've seen the commercials. which products are worth your money. >> lucy, editor of "self" magazine. >> this is fun. it makes dinner for you, makes it fun to eat healthy food. >> we're suckers to the commercials and buy them and can't use them. you tested them. >> our editors tested everything you see out there. it's only a waste of money if it doesn't work or you don't use it. we found things effective. turns out most americans aren't getting half fruits and vege

you're supposed to. this makes it fun. >> start with the chopper. how does this work. >> this is the genius chopper sold on qvc. what it does is chops your fruits and veges, you make a salad as easy as that. then you can actually serve it in this groovy little container and gorgeous. take it to work. we found out in a study if you bring your lunch you lose five pounds by eating this kind of healthy food. >> who knew. bring your lunch more. >> i hate chopping. i hate chopping more than cleaning. i'd rather clean up than chop. >> oftentimes we don't use produce, sits there and spoils because we don't take it out and use it. >> any salad can be delicious. making salad can be a pain. >> the kids can do that as well. >> it's very fun. we're playing with gadgets. >> move onto the chocolates here of a you've got your veges in you. you've got to fill the sweet

tooth. >> this calls my name. i love chocolate. dark chocolate is good for you. you're supposed to eat it a little every day. the truth for me is how to stop. i would eat the chocolate bar. the great thing about this, sold at target. you can make healthy fondu. you don't have to eat the whole bar. it's social, fun, make this fondu, desert but good for you. >> in case it doesn't work, i feel like i need to try it just to make sure. >> try it. your kids can make molds with chocolate. dark chocolate is good for you and what you're dipping in. >> don't get it all over the tie. >> the burgers are juicy without the grease. new wave sells them for $100. you don't have to heat up the whole kitchen. uses conduction, convection, infrared. put in potatoes. >> like a souped-up microwave

but keeps the crisp in the burgers i hear. >> keeps the heat in here. if you're in a hot kitchen, you don't have to heat up the whole thing. it makes the whole dinner right in here. >> healthier. >> delicious. all these burgers were made with this. the new wave.com people will sell it to you. >> i like the next item. go out of town, forget to throw things out. put them in the frig, smells bad. it's what? >> genius, a little air freshener, takes ethylene gas, makes produce fresher longer. >> save money. >> you guy it on qvc, save produce, won't throw away wilted lettuce. >> last but not least. >> this is cute. this cute little wire basket. you know how you throw away the water. this makes pasta or steamed vegetables and you can keep the water for corn or veges and you don't get a face full of hot water.

>> fantastic. >> i say with this you don't have to be a chef, just eat in, eat fresh, eat healthy. >> thank you so much. >> thanks for having us. >> thanks for helping us out today. always good to have you here. >> i appreciate it, guys. >> let's eat chock. >> kathie lee and hoda check out the best allergy-free school snacks after your local news.

good morning, everyone. i'm angie goff. 9:57 on this september 4th. with school buss and parents returning to work after the labor day weekend, the roads could be a mess today. let's go straight to danella sealock with your first 4 traffic. >> what we're dealing with right now a couple accidents remaining. south capital street in southeast at martin luther king

jr. avenue, the accident involves an overturned vehicle. inner loop i-66 some good news a multi-vehicle crash there. it is in your shoulder lane, not bad at all. if you're traveling on i-270, looking a lot better. let's head over to veronica with a check of your forecast. >> doesn't feel too great out there. the humidity high, again, today. going to stay pretty sticky. 80 to 85 for a high temperature today. rain on tap for the afternoon. could be heavy this evening and here's a look at your evening, 73 to 79 degrees and tomorrow still wet with a high of 87. angie? >> veronica, thanks. i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. mitt romney's position on women's health...it's dangerous. vo:mitt romney and paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. and allow employers to deny coverage for cancer screenings and birth control. we can't afford to let him take away our choices... to take away basic health care.

vo: both backed proposals to outlaw abortions...even in cases of rape and incest. i don't think that women's health issues have faced a crisis like this in decades. anncr: it'll start out as concrete and steel... but it'll become so much more. a new world-class resort casino in prince george's county. two thousand construction jobs to build it. four thousand permanent, good-paying jobs when it's done. hundreds of millions for maryland schools... real oversight to make sure the money goes... where it's supposed to.

but none of it will happen unless we vote for... question seven this november. vote for question seven. and help build a better future for maryland. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. so glad you're with us today. aren't we, hoda? booze day tuesday, september 4th? i guess it's back to school day for a lot of people. >> it felt it this morning. there is something in the air when this time of the year starts. you remember your first day of school and all the kids and the school bus. hannah went to the school bus. there is a picture. there's the bus coming and she

is in the foreground. the bus is coming. it's an exciting day. do you remember your first day of school, you would dress up? >> now it's required they go so much earlier. we, everything was -- you could choose whether to send your children to nursery school or kindergarten. i didn't really go to school -- >> at all. >> yeah. it's also back in the 1880s so i don't remember it very well. i started going to school in europe though. we lived in europe until i was 5 years old. then we came here to the u.s. >> yes. i remember having the outfit picked out, having it on the bed, being excited to put it on. >> your mother gives you your back-to-school bangs. remember those? they're up to here and crooked. you look like that guy in "liar, liar." >> i love that movie. a lot of people sending pics of their kids going off to school. here is martin his first day in

new york. here's rachel, kensie and carmen. >> there is mallie. >> and look at zack. i like the hat. >> it was a big day for me yesterday. cassidy went off to udy. i sobbed. i said i wouldn't do it especially in front of her. i was in my robe runni after the car. i was a mess. frank and i looked at each other afterwards. frank and me and the three dogs. i went, i don't like this. it's way too quiet around here. oh, my gosh. i'll be all right. then you can't go into their room. you can't go into their rooms. so i had a big old sob fest. i told her to come home tomorrow. >> we will see. >> i have guests here today. a friend of mine named drew

marshall on the left. drew is one of the best radio hosts i've ever met in my life. i met when i was a guest on his show. hey, drew. how can people hear you on the radio, baby? >> sorry, what? >> how can people hear the radio. >> they can go to drew marshall.ca. >> this lovely couple. they were getting married. i never met them before. mari and chad, are they like ken and barbie. you were a fan or something so i did a video or something. >> just like that. >> now you put you on tv so that's enough. how's the marriage going? >> made it through the first year. >> yes. good for you. >> congratulations. we were gone for a week. >> yes. >> and we are gone sometimes when we're here. >> we were definitely gone yesterday. >> where were you?

>> i spent some time in l.a. where i visited with you. i spent time at the beach and i went to the u.s. open yesterday, which by the way is such a fun thing to do. sherry in the middle. it was really great. she helped us have fun at the open. >> grave you great seats. >> yeah. and serena played and slaughtered, i didn't know what the other girl's name was, frankly. >> who was the guy there? >> that's a friend of mine. >> a friend of hers. we want to thank the u.s. open for sending over these lovely wine glasses to us. i was out in l.a. doing an interview with justin bieber and his mom who has a big, big book coming out, patty, which i think we'll have on in a couple of weeks. also while i was there, we start rehearsals today for my show. >> what's it called? >> "scandalous!" >> i heard a rumor.

>> carolee had never been at angela's temple. it was so much fun to see her light up while we were there. it's been a good week. >> jay leno had fun at our expense. you know the whole prince harry thing is brewing. that thing is not going to die. >> too juicy, too good. >> leno had fun. let's listen to this. >> two of the women that allegedly partied with him. you knew this was going to happen. they've now come forward. here is the report. take a look. >> not every girl can marry a prince, but partying with one has to be a close second. days after photo of prince harry hit the internet, a new photo showed just who was partying with the naked prince. these two women from new york got a glimpse of the crown jewels. >> that's funny. i wish. >> come on.

don't you love harry? >> if 2 he were my son i would tan his hide. >> i love him. >> it's such a great-looking hide. you've got to love the guy. we're wild about harry. >> he had a public event. his first public event. you wondered how he was going to react, what he was going to be like. he handled it like a champ. let's listen. >> all you children, families, nurses, doctors, volunteers, are quite frankly too remarkable for me to describe in mere words. but i'll give it a go. >> too cute. >> i wonder if the kids knew what the heck he was talking about there. he's sheepish. remember his mom used to do that? that little look. gosh, can you believe it's been 15 years? >> no.

i read that in the paper the other day. there is a big story on the cover of "vanity fair." it talks about how there were auditions for the role of tom cruise's wife. you heard stories about this. >> it's bizarre. it was interesting because this article talks about how there was an iranian british actress who was interviewed. initially they thought for some role in a movie. this is her. >> beautiful girl. >> i think it's nazanini boniadi. >> she is a scientologist and they dated for several months. apparently, she wasn't the one to be chosen. she was heart broken about tom cruise because she was crazy about him. apparently, according to this article, the folks from scientology said she had to lose the red highlights, lose her

braces and lose the boyfriend, then she could be with tom cruise. she told her story to a fellow scientologist friend of hers and that friend went to the higher-ups. according to the article, they said she was punished by having to scrub toilets with a toothbrush and dig ditches in the middle of the night. >> it seems so bizarre. who wrote it, maureen? >> and she had good sources too. >> it's too bizarre for words. >> scientology say the allegations about the church supposedly auditions prospective brides for tom cruise is a false piece of gossip. >> so this young woman since left the church and so has her mother along with paul hagis, the great director who is one of the sources. >> yeah. >> i hope all of it is untrue. i don't like to read stuff like

that. i don't. we met tom cruise. he is an absolutely delightful guy to be around. frank worked with him on "jerry mcguire." he came to the set just to support. he's the kind of guy on a set that knows every member of the crew's name and gives gifts. he's a nice man, so i don't want to believe that one. today is a big day for steve harvey. >> that i want to believe. >> he's got his "top chef" started at 3:00. he is so great. he talked about the difference between fun and joy. fun is something you seek out like going to a movie or a comedy club. he said that's having fun. joy is when you open your eyes and you're happy with who you are. great words of wisdom. i'm rooting for him. >> absolutely. i want to wish michael strahan all the best, as well. he just started this morning. the world's worst-kept secret in

show business. an ex giant. you know what today is? we have a lovely couple on the phone. we always do "everyone has a story. " ♪ everyone has a story that changes their life ♪ >> you get this only once a month. >> i want to hear it again. ♪ nothing will be the same again ♪ >> all righty. it's julian and joe draper grant from fredericksburg, virginia. is it julie ann? >> julian. >> julian wrote in to tell us about his wife jo. you're a veteran, two tours in vietnam. you had a hard time since then, tell us about it. >> well, i had cancer for the last 12 years. i have a lot of chronic pain and

neu neu neuropathy and i was exposed to agent orange. >> often the wives write in about the spouse. >> she would think you were the hero. you wrote in about your wife. are you there too, jo? >> i am. >> you wrote a beautiful letter and hopefully we wrote a beautiful song to bless you. we'll see you on thursday. enjoy your time in new york. we'll see you thursday. i'm a little off today. >> what were your favorite celebrities up to while you were enjoying that holiday weekend, hodawoman? >> we'll catch you up on all that was buzzing around continuesletown after this. it started long ago. it's called passion. and it's not letting up anytime soon. at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we understand that commitment. so does aarp, serving americans 50 and over for generations.

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>> it does. that makes this interesting. "vanity fair," a very respected publication has finally seems to have nailed this down and got somebody to talk about it. has been confirmed by paul hakis, director of "crash" who is an ex-scientology. what is hurl for tom, this is a magazine that he trusted seven years ago to show suri for the very first time. >> i forgot about that. who is their major source? >> this is an ex-scientologist on the record. the actress is not quoted in this story. however a fantastic magazine. now this has started that whole debate again and people are wondering were there other girls that auditions for that role? >> tom cruise is one of the biggest movie stars in the world. can't he get a date on his own without everybody auditioning? it makes no sense to me. >> i think there were a lot of ladies who would like to date

tom. what the article is implying is the scientology center wants a specific type of lady to be his wife. tom is very, very important in this church and this organization. >> i can't imagine he would allow himself to be manipulated like that. >> prince harry we saw a clip of him. >> this disclaimer, hoda is hot for harry. >> he's amazing. he has a dynamic quality. he went to a benefit last night. they said like princess diana, he got down on the floor, looked these children in the eye just before they arrived. a cheeky chap who had leukemia did an interview with itv. there he is. he said on the itv when he meets harry, he's going to want to say, i'm glad you've got your clothes on. harry saw the interview and ripped him about the fact and said i know what you want to say, but please don't. a girl gave him a kiss and

hugged her and he said, we only just met. >> russell crowe was paddling around in the long island sound. what happened? >> he is doing noaa. >> he was paddling around, lost about 4 1/2 hours. the coast guard did get him. what they are saying they didn't rescue him, they gave him a lift back to where he was from. russell doesn't want people to think he was lost. that's his friend and the coast guard took photographs after. he looks a little different. >> let's talk about heidi klum's deal. >> he did an interview. seal was caught on the fly. he said he wished heidi hadn't fornicated with the help. that is a harsh thing. what he is saying now is saying nothing happened with the bodyguard while they were still

married, but they are technically still married. now he is back-pedalling back. heidi put out a statement saying she is happy with their time together. interestingly, there is a new picture of heidi with a different bodyguard. >> look how he loves it. >> you're sick. >> he's in the right business. >> we love you, rob. >> it is up, up and away when sara blasts off on another adventure. >> will she make a splash or crash? parentheses have a place,

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[ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. time for sara breaks out of the city. this week she is headed down to the jersey shore for a flying lesson. >> we hear you had to keep your head above the water. how did it go? >> it's counterintuitive but a new device uses water to help me catch air. you've seen james bond use one in "thunderball" and tony sparks soar in the "ironman" movie. now almost anyone can levitate in the air with the jet pack. >> it's something where it's so unnatural. think about it. man has been trying to fly for how many years? >> manny bellow rents the jets at jersey shore water craft rentals in seaside heights. the engine trails the jet pack

and propels water downward to launch a rider up to 30 feet in the air. really advanced pilots can run on water, dive below and corkscrew. what's the verb, are you jet leving, jumping, flying, swimming, are you dying? >> jet-leving. i would call it flying. jet packing. >> you have to be at least 16 years old and weigh between 90 and 380 pounds. what tips can you give me? >> it isn't about the muscles. we had young girls that have gone up there and just outperformed most of the guys. >> i think i'm ready. anything else? >> why don't we set you up with the crew now. >> ray ortiz is my certified instructor, strapping me in and schooling me before i can take flight. >> i'm not going ywhere. >> to stand up, i want your feet underneath you. thrust your hips forward.

put your heels on the edge. ready? one, two, three, go. >> cool. with ray at the controls and his directions pumped into the ear piece under my helmet, i'm ready to let my lev on. >> bring your arms down. down one, down one. there it is, there it is. nice, stable, perfect. perfect. oh, yeah! >> as the crowd cheers me on, i'm ready to try the fancy corkscrew. >> now, when i throttle you up, i want you to keep lowering your hands and you'll stay right above the water going real fast. >> it's not pretty, but they are now calling this move the sara. just a little speed bump on the way to getting up and running. >> they went into production

just last year. you can only find them at a few locations around the country. it wasn't all smooth sailing out there. here is an out take. >> can i say something? there were certain people in the studio who laughed when they saw that. i know who they are. that is awful. that must have hurt. >> you had bruises? >> that was the most beaten up i have been after a segment. that's when they were, we're done. everyone was safe. i was being bold so they let me go further. >> without training. >> without training at all. >> we are glad you're back in one piece. coming up next -- >> she's training for the marathon. >> unbelievable. coming up next, we'll meet the guys behind the internet sensation. here you go little man.

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could you do me a huge favor? >> could you not do that, please. >> could you pass me that blanket? >> could you just turn it down? >> i had to get up at like 6:00 this morning. go to my bag. go to my purse. did i lock the door? >> love these guys. we are back on this booze day tuesday with more of "today." that's "stuff girls say." the viral video had millions of hits on youtube. >> they are the authors of the new book called [ bleep ] girls say. hey, guys. we've been featuring you over the months.

where is your material coming from, you two? >> everywhere. >> if we ever take anything from our friends we try to tell them. we hear it on the streets, everywhere and we try to write it down. >> it's a theme. you're usually in drag. >> i am. >> you chose not to be in drag with us today. have you ever done the drag with the facial hair? >> i have. >> a lot of we women battle that. >> how long does the transformation take from this? >> it's about an hour. that is my friend rob doing the make-up for us for our cover shoot. >> that's how long it takes me. >> how did it catch on? tell us how quickly this thing caught fire? >> you guys helped. you showed it in december. it just took off from the youtube video from there. >> then we got the idea to do the book. we got really excited about making a book. it seemed like a logical next

step from twitter. >> we cracked up. what reaction do you get on the street from women or men? >> nobody recognizes me. >> thankfully. >> a really good reception. everyone loves it when they find out we've done the videos. they start quoting it. >> i guess somebody could be offended, but i couldn't imagine who would be. have you ever heard from anybody that says, "that's sexist." very rarely. our families are so happy for us and our friends love it. >> when you do a video like this, does it turn into something lucrative or do you make money off that? >> doing a book hopefully. >> the book will help, hopefully. >> you don't get any money from youtube or anything? i don't know how that works. who is making all this money on youtube? >> i don't know. are there certain women you draw from to get your materials? friends, sisters? >> i think our sisters and mothers. >> they get a kick out of it.

what are a couple of your moms. >> my mom, could you get my magic bag. >> they live in toronto. they need a warm scarf. what about you? >> my mom? i don't know. it's mostly skill's sister who gives us so many. ice cream makes me cough. that was her big one. >> i like the word moist. >> so do we, especially when panties is right next to it. >> damp. >> right. how could i forget? >> we wish you guys great luck. >> yeah. so go and buy their book. "girls say." >> thanks, guys. >> what do girls say about make-up? >> ones you should save, toss and buy. [ mother ] you can't leave the table

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it is time for "today's beauty." the arrival of fall is a time to take a look at your cosmetics and decide what to save, toss and what you should buy. >> here to update your beauty routine to transition from summer to fall. here is mallie.

>> sometimes you think this isn't right for the fall, i will toss this. >> some of the things you should always keep, especially when fall comes around. beautiful eye liners and gorgeous colors. purple. do you like purple? >> not as an eye liner. >> okay. >> i have nothing against the color personally just not around my eyes. >> purples, greens, blue. >> no. >> i love it. eyebrows are always big, but especially in the fall. this season brows are going to be big. >> you've got great eyebrows. >> thanks. i draw them on. >> it's a liquid marker. you can draw it in. it lasts a long time. you can get precise look.

>> that's funny with the bronzer coming up next. >> you have that beautiful healthy glow naturally. we don't want to turn into a pasty mess once winter comes. >> i like the sun. >> so there you go. keep that bronzer. keep that healthy glow all year long so people just, you know. >> there is a shelf life on these things, too. never keep anything more than six months? >> for sure. everything has a different shelf life. depending. look it up online and see. >> i have stuff in a ziplock that's been there more than a year. >> there is a giant wastepaper basket here which means these are the things we toss. super parksparkly eye shadows. i don't imagine you wear these. >> no. >> you don't want any more. fall is coming, more elegant.

really soft they are always gorgeous. in the summertime they are appropriate. in the winter, you can go darker with your lip. also again, bright white eye shadow. we want to keep everything soft and pretty. everything that is going to pop out. you want to take those and throw them in the garbage. >> it's all about skin in the fall. in the summer you're going for that dewy, being healthy, frolicking. you frolic, i know you do. >> naked all the time. >> i knew it. what you want is a beautiful semi matte foundation. i'm sorry. >> this seems to have where you are name on it. some home cooking is going on. >> really just great nourishing

foundation that almost acts as a skin care, as well, but has a beautiful matte finish. >> thank you. >> a great old jar of vaseline is great. it's a great thing to keep hydrated in the fall. you can use it on your eye lids to get a look. tap it on to your cheekbone. great soft warm brown eye liner. >> yes. >> we have a winner. thank you. >> i like vaseline, too. >> of course you do. >> oh, girls. smudgy eye liner for that morning after kind of a look. a nice keep mulberry lipstick. >> i like that. >> thank you, mally. >> we are going to show you how to make allergy-free snacks for school. ♪

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now on "today's kitchen, what's cooking," allergy-free snacks for you and your kids. it could be difficult to find the safe snacks they actually want to eat. >> the alley-free snack cookbook, shari and judy zucker. so good to see you. >> cooker. what are we making, girls? >> we are making gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan pizza. >> you got cooked on this alley-free cooking?

>> my son has allergy, a protein found in dairy and gluten intolerance which is found in wheat. >> this was born out of necessity. >> and also we get a lot of hits on our website. this is our fifth book. they were asking, can you make recipes without wheat? can we modify this recipe, that recipe? >> over 15 million people suffer from food allergies. we've always been about educating others on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. >> educate us ladies, please. >> i'm shari. >> and i'm judi. >> i'm fast and sexy. >> and modest. >> let's do it. >> my husband will like that one. trust me. we have brown rice flour. we use whole grain flour. we add tapioca flour.

>> it gives it great texture. because you don't have the gluten, you want to keep the texture. this is very important. >> extra virgin olive oil, herbs. a little bit of salt and honey. >> what is that stuff? >> this is the yeast mixture. this is going to make the dough rise. >> what is that, honey? >> the honey goes with the yeast mixture. any form of sweetener. all our books are sugar-free. they are plant-based easy to make recipes. >> two pieces of wax pair. put flour in between this so it doesn't stick. >> roll it. >> just roll it. you want to roll this out? >> not really.

>> we love this easy to make tomato sauce. >> put tomato sauce on. we have these fantastic different veggies to put on. a lot is about presentation and look. if we are not putting cheese on the recipes here. >> that's nice, hoda. nice presentation. >> broccoli is high in protein. this is dairy free cheese. >> put it on there. do it. >> awesome. >> vegan dairy-free cheese. >> do you want to show us? >> that's the pizza. after we have excellent tasty treats. they are so good they're scandalous. >> these are oatmeal raisin cookies.

these are carob. it's different than chocolate. >> i'm going to point out that's delicious. >> thank you. >> all right. >> all sugar-free, too. this is rice milk. >> you'll love it. >> no, no. people can't have dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, fish. they feel a despair but it's an opportunity for creativity. you get fantastic recipes. >> thank you, girls. >> thanks for sharing. guess what we are doing now? >> fun to do it yourself projects. heavy load in america. but mitt romney plan, a middle class to $2,000 more a year in taxes. multi-millionaires like himself hits the middle class harder... bigger break. forward for america? this message.

we are heading back to school today. the start of school is a great time to begin some do-it-yourself projects for you and the kids. >> author of "dirty little secrets and design" mr. frank fontana has some great ideas. >> how are you doing today? >> great. >> this seems counterintuitive. trying to get the kids out of the house to do things you've been wanting to do all summer long. >> they're in the mode doing craft stuff. these are projects with a purpose. binders. making them beautiful. >> they tell you to decorate them yourself. >> recycling old jeans, you use the pocket portion because you can store pencils, erasers inside of it. spray glue it down. set them up to any design you want. taking ownership over homework and play time, this is a great project. use empty fiber board, rope, painted it with my nephew jude.

he puts this sign up, then playtime he pops up the rocket ship. it gives him a sense of responsibility. >> your son is noisy. >> yeah, that would be my son. >> we'll meet him in a minute. >> decoupage. you give kids ownership over things, it teaches them storage. cutting up some paper. >> i used to do this all the time. >> i got back to it with this project. it's a cool thing. boy-insired, harley-davidson, for the girls, poems and stuff. >> that's sexist. >> what do you mean? this is a definite discipli disciplinarian cool project. this is a time-out stool. when she acts up, you flip it

over and you have to sit on the stool till the timer goes down. >> how do they know it's over? >> na that's the beauty of it. they never know. this is crayon art. everyone has old crayons. i'm going to show you how to do it. come on this side. grab a blow dryer. get that going real quick. i have a special guest judge. i'm going to bring my son in. come on in luca. my wife sherry, too. what you want to do is point down and get close. what will happen, it will start to drip. >> look at mine. >> hoda is an artist. >> oh you go up against it. i think we have to go, right? >> don't give up yet.

this is art, girls. work it. >> there it goes. >> see, this is fun. >> even my son can do this. >> i'm bored. >> i can see the kids would love doing this. >> luca is getting all splattered. who's got it going on there, baby? >> it's splattering his face. >> it's your fault. sorry, honey. >> coming up tomorrow, singer ashanti. >> how to be happier at home. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com